Hello and Goodbye (REWRITTEN)
by CatGirlFireflare
Summary: She wasn't suited to their kind of life. She needed to be strong and hard and able to fight back- all things she wasn't.
1. Scared witless

**FF: Hey guys, long time no see! Okay- here's what's happening:**

 **1\. My attempts to revise my earlier story (the one this is a rewrite of?) I've given up. It's still there, but I figured it's best to rewrite it entirely. So far it's working splendidly.**

 **2\. should you have read the Unrewritten story, a lot of things are going to be different. A. LOT. Plot points, events, dialogue, etc. be prepared. ALSO- I don't quite like waiting for action, so, you'll only have a little bit of boring stuff to read before it gets exciting :D**

 **3\. I can't find a good spot to put this in so, CHARACTER INFO (basically heights for everyone): Leo- 6 ft, Raph-5ft 11, Donny- 6ft 5, Mikey-5ft 10, Liza-5ft 7, Lyska- 5ft 9. All good? Good.**

 **4\. NO SET UNIVERSE- leaning toward 2k3, but not totally**

 **FF: that's about all I can think of that i need to say. I _am_ still working on the sequel, it's coming, but I want to get this done first since it provides better characterization and emotional content. Please enjoy, and tell me what'cha think. :)**

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE**

Liza Michaels was not having a very good day.

It had started off lonely, her father still on a business trip and her mother already at work as per usual, and turned exhausting as she went to school via the bus and fought her way through the crowded hallways to her classes.

After a full day of struggling to concentrate and navigate the minefield that is highschool, she trudged home, once more braving the bus, to find herself still alone.

The brunette sighed, used to it but still feeling that flicker of disappointment. She dropped her bag off on the floor by the couch and walked to the kitchen, shaking her head at herself. Flicking on the light, she noticed a note left on the kitchen counter and her already low mood sunk further.

She suppressed another sigh as she picked up the slip of paper. At least the note meant her mom had been home at some point.

It was simple, saying that her mother had to work late, she was so sorry, there was some leftovers in the fridge if Liza would like, and if she could please do the laundry that'd be great, love you!

Liza groaned faintly, annoyed by the chore even as she tried to comfort herself. _Hey, at least it isn't the dishes, right?_

Throwing the washer room a tired glance, the brunette left the note and turned back towards the main room. The laundry could wait a while- she had homework to do.

To her everlasting gratitude, it wasn't very much or too hard- read 40 pages and complete the accompanying worksheet for english, and then complete problems 1-10 for math- though it did leave her rather drained about an hour and a half later.

So she took a 'quick'- read: another hour or two- break to rest and relax via surfing the internet and checking out some youtube videos. Then she headed into the kitchen to reluctantly make herself some reheated spaghetti, (she preferred fresh made, but didn't want to waste food.)

As she carried her bowl to the main room, her eyes flickered to the note again, reminding her of the chore that needed to be done. With a sigh, she mentally promised to do the laundry when her meal was finished.

Twenty minutes later, her bowl and fork were in the sink to be washed and she was emptying the laundry bag into the washer. She poured in the correct amount of detergent and clicked the machine's top shut, spinning the dial to the correct setting.

She'd just pressed the start button, the washer humming to life under her fingertip, when a loud THUD erupted from outside her back door. She jolted back from the sound instinctively, her heart abruptly kickstarting and her arm flying up to deflect a blow.

There was a snarl and then muffled shouting of indistinct words followed by a sharp _shing_ that sounded like the movies when a sword had been unsheathed.

She staggered, her panicked jump unbalancing her and smacking her against a wall. Without any leverage, she fell and crashed to the ground with a gasp, suddenly terrified whoever was out there would hear her.

For a second, it seemed like her fear was justified- something smashed against the back door, the glass splintering with wide cracks as she flinched violently, her breathing far too fast to be safe.

But then whatever had done that shoved off from the severely dented outer door with a roar, and several voices rose in rage and terror as harsh and ferocious sounds signified a battle outside her door.

Overwhelmed with panicked terror, Liza practically forgot how to breathe, her heart barely beating in sharp, painful bursts. She had no idea how long she lay there, pressed against the wall listening to the violent blows and screams outside and feverishly praying that she wouldn't be murdered tonight, please no, _please_!

It seemed like forever before there was loud footsteps from several people running unsteadily away. A barking laugh echoed after them, and a tired sounding voice shouted something. Then, a mutter and a quiet thud.

Silence.

The brunette plastered to the wall stared wide-eyed at the back door, scarcely breathing. Then, a few moments later, a shuddering gasp pulled air into her lungs and she let out a terrified keening- the kind where someone was just barely clinging to control but was slipping off the edge into hysteria.

It took several deep gulps of air and several moments of tightly clutching her chest over her heart to allow her to calm enough to think it through.

There was a fight outside her house.

The back door was damaged, but held.

The people seemed to have left.

No one got inside.

She was okay.

She nearly stopped breathing again after another line of thought clicked.

Should she call the police? What if that one person didn't leave? What if they were still out there? Was she in danger? What was that thud? How could she explain the door to her mother?

…

HER MOTHER!

Scrambling now, she struggled to her feet- call her mother! Yes! Her mother would know what to do!- relief bursting in her chest. She'd barely taken a step before a sound registered.

She froze, her mind speeding out of control as she fought to think it through calmly.

It wasn't a footstep. It wasn't a shout or anything like that. It wasn't...aggressive. It was…

She forced herself to take a step closer to the damaged door, her heart in her throat as she concentrated on being as soundless as possible and angled her head to hear better.

...moaning? Why would- was someone hurt out there?

Liza stiffened, a sick feeling coiling around the dread and fear in her stomach.

Someone was hurt. Possibly bad. They needed help out there.

Her body trembled as her mind fought with itself.

One part wanted to run to the deepest most secure place in the house and call her mother and police and maybe an ambulance, it was far too dangerous to go outside, and just hide and cry and pray nothing else happened.

The other part demanded to know if the other person was alright and how dare you consider leaving them there, wouldn't you want help if you were in their place? Besides, why would danger be out there if that person was left behind? There were no other voices or noises heard, was there?

The brunette keened quietly again and shook her head violently before running up to the kitchen.

She'd compromise.

That was how she found herself inching towards the back door with a broom clutched painfully tight in her trembling hands and a bike helmet strapped over her head, (she was grateful she'd found her nice black one instead of her mother's bright white one.)

Terrified but struggling to stay calm, she delicately nudged the window's curtain aside and peeked outside.

Her backyard, her tiny patch of grass and tall chain link fence with flower bushes lining it to try and make up for all the concrete surrounding her, was ripped and scuffed with clods of dirt and grass tossed about haphazardly and deep gouges running through the dirt.

Liza would've turned and gone back to plan A- hiding and calling the police and her mother- if a burst of anger hadn't simmered to life inside her.

How dare they. How DARE they! One of the very few painless reminders of her country home with rolling hills and sweet smelling plants and trees- and they'd damaged it! They'd scarred it!

Taking a deep breath and using that anger as support, Liza flicked on the back light and pulled open the inner door. Seeing as that got no response from the outside, she took in another shaky breath and reached for the outer door.

The dented metal groaned as she pushed against it, pressing the handle down and clicking the button in as far as it could go before freezing at the first loud groan. When nothing happened, she shifted her grip on the broom and shoved her shoulder against the door, pushing hard.

It finally popped open, the metal curving out of place now and making it impossible to shut, almost making her fall before she righted herself. She jolted up, broom poised to strike just in case, as her heart hammered inside her chest.

Nothing.

Swallowing hard she tiptoed out, hesitant to leave the door but pressing onwards nonetheless. She widened her eyes as she spotted...something…. Lying just beyond the light's reach.

The brunette shivered, warring with the impulse to just run back inside and forget this madness and go to where it was safe.

She stepped forward and haltingly inched her way over.

"H-hello...?" She tried to call out, but all the happened was a hoarse whisper that barely made any sound at all. She took a breath and tried again. "Hello? Someone...? Are- are you o...kay…?"

Her voice trailed off as her eyes, impossibly, got bigger and her grip on the broom slackened.

Before her lay...what looked like a giant turtle!

She shook her head faintly, her mouth open and eyes unable to blink. But...how was….? What...?

A torn red mask was tied around its eyes, a belt around its waist, and knee and elbow pads accompanied cloth wrappings on its wrists and ankles. Lying by its three fingered hands were two weapons- _sais_ , her mind supplied faintly- with red wrappings on their handles, matching the mask's hue.

The broom slipped from her fingers and she snapped out of her stunned trance to scramble to catch it, managing to grab it on the second swipe before it hit the ground. Straightening, she slowly stepped back, eyes glued to the...creature in front of her.

No. No, no, this- this was- she couldn't deal with this, she- this shouldn't even be real- was it real? It couldn't be, it couldn't...could it?

But then her mind registered everything else.

The gouges on its plastron.

The lacerations on its limbs and the slash oozing red blood that slit the skin over the shoulder and collarbone and made a nick in the already grooved plastron.

The bruises and smudged dirt that tainted the dark green skin, and the too much, too quick blood flow that seeped from its side, from the space between the plastron and shell.

Before she knew it she'd taken steps forward and crouched by its side, setting the broom down by her side. She looked around her damaged paradise, seeing not a soul, friendly or otherwise beyond the fence or inside it.

She looked back down to the wounded creature and hesitantly, oh so hesitantly, laid a hand on its shell. It didn't respond.

Her other hand reached down, brushing gently along the long cut over the collarbone. She jerked the hand back when the turtle winced in its sleep, its face scrunching in pain.

She looked around again, a distressed expression on her face, and turned to examine its wounds again. Then, another look to its face, still pinched in hurt.

…..she couldn't leave it here.

Carefully, she tiptoed around it- him, she corrected as she gave a him quick once over with her eyes. She couldn't keep calling the poor thing an 'it', that wasn't right- and slid her hand under his arms. She gathered her legs beneath her and pulled upwards.

Her efforts managed to lift him off the ground a few inches, but only for a few seconds, then she had to quickly but carefully lay him back down with a surprised grunt.

Man, he was heavy.

 _Must be the shell_ , she mused, pacing a little as she tried to figure out how to get him inside.

It took four tries and several rest stops to get him to the door- by then, her arms were already burning. But she refused to give up, huffing and puffing in her efforts to drag him into her home, (she accidentally bonked his head on the doorframe when squeezing through,) and into the kitchen.

She winced at the grinding noise of his shell against the linoleum and hurried up to the bathroom to grab some towels. She lay them across the carpeted floor in front of her staircase, just a yard or so away from the kitchen entrance, and tiredly dragged the turtle on top of the fabric.

 _At least this way he won't get any bloodstains on the carpet,_ she thought as she raced up the stairs again to grab the medical kit in the bathroom.

* * *

It took twenty minutes for her to clean, bandage, and treat all the injuries the turtle had- which included, but weren't limited to, a concussion, gashes, scrapes, cuts, and bruises.

Then she cleaned up the used gauze, wipes, empty disinfectant bottle, and took out the trash to leave no evidence. After, she grabbed the broom and the weapons from outside- she desperately hoped that they did indeed belong to him- and put away the broom while hiding the weapons in case he was a little temperamental when he woke up. Then a quick once over with paper towels on the floors to clean the blood smears and drops.

Finally, slumping against the wall and making sure the creature needed nothing else and was soundly asleep, she staggered up the stairs and grabbed a phone.

She couldn't hold back a sob when her mother picked up, the stress and panic crashing down on her shoulders.

" _Mom…_ "

* * *

 **FF: Poor Liza. Rough day :( I hope she feels better soon... (ARGH I FORGOT TO MENTION- updates on Mondays! I've got 26(?) ish prewritten chapters and I'm still goin' strong! Might run out one day tho and actually have to keep writing)**


	2. He's awake

**FF: hello again! No reviews sadly. Rather discouraging, to be honest, but no matter! The story goes on regardless! (though seriously, what do you guys think? yay? Nay? Eh? WHAT?)**

 **FF: Anywho! To the story yes? We left off with poor Liza stressing out- a constant nowadays to be sure.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO**

It took almost three hours for the police to investigate, sweep her backyard for evidence, question her on what happened, reassure her and her mother it was probably random gang violence so they probably wouldn't be back, leave, her mother to panic and question her as well, hold her close, gape at the damaged back door, panic for her daughter again, call her father, panic with him, Liza to talk and reassure him, panic for her daughter some more, Liza to talk and reassure her, and finally settle somewhat as her daughter snuggled close with her on her parent's bed.

Liza didn't mind the snuggling, desperately craving any comfort she could get. But when her mother finally fell asleep, the brunette reluctantly slipped from her mother's embrace. She turned out the light in her parent's room and slid into hers, shutting the door silently and locking it.

She let out a long, deep sigh as her mind returned to thoughts of her guest.

Truly it was a miracle she'd managed to drag him up the stairs and into her bedroom- her arms nearly falling off and her spine almost breaking- before her mother had rushed home and the police had arrived (ow, her arms still ached). An even bigger miracle was that no one had tried to go into her room.

She leaned heavily against the door, forehead pressed against the wood with sleep heavy and red rimmed eyes closing a moment as she fought to calm the stress eating at her heart.

And then, suddenly, a hand was pressed over her mouth and something pinned her arms to her side and she was yanked back and held against something hard. She couldn't even scream for lack of oxygen, simply gasping and struggling to breathe through the shock and terror and _she was about to be_ _murdered NO_!

"Who are you?" A voice growled in her ear, rough and strained sounding.

She couldn't respond, too busy almost hyperventilating in panic.

"I said, _who are you_?" The growl turned into an almost snarl and the arm clamping her arms down tightened. "Where are we? Why did you bring me here?"

She couldn't hold up under the fear and terror and panic and confusion, her heart beating too fast and her mind too awash with the hurricane of emotions frothing in her head.

She cried.

Hot, fat tears rolled down her cheeks as she almost convulsively sobbed into the hand over her mouth.

Her captor jerked back in shock, only making her sob harder as she panicked that he was angered by her tears and _oh please no_ , he was going to kill her! "What th-?" His voice was utterly baffled, but she just couldn't notice.

She didn't even have the energy to struggle, hanging limply in his grasp with her feet dragging on the floor and struggling to breathe through her tears and painfully fast heartbeat as her vision darkened.

"Shoot, stop crying! Just-" There was an aggrieved noise and then she was lowered to the floor by a strong hand on her shoulder that was strangely gentle with another still over her mouth, but looser. "Hey- hey! Calm down! Breathe, okay? Just breathe, like this- in, and out. Okay? In and out."

She couldn't see a thing through her tear heavy vision, but her brain recognized the accurate advice and her body followed suit, fighting to mimic the familiar and helpful calming technique. It took a minute or two for her chest to stop heaving and for her loud gulps of air to settle into somewhat heavy panting instead, her aching eyes beginning to clear.

At this point, she was completely and entirely drained. She just didn't care anymore. If he killed her, he killed her. So what. She just wanted to sleep.

She just wanted this day over with.

So she lifted her arms to scrub at her face, not caring how the hands on her shoulder and mouth instantly grabbed her wrists instead. She just looked miserably to her captor- the injured turtle she'd rescued, ( _How's that for gratitude?_ Her mind sulked tiredly)- and croaked out, "My eyes hurt…"

"Uh," He blinked bewildered amber eyes and hesitantly released her, watching as she wiped at the tears still oozing from her stinging, overworked eyes.

The brunette let her hands fall into her lap and stared up at him dully, completely worn out. She didn't say a word.

He seemed to have lost any courage to grab her again and instead awkwardly crouched in front of her, one hand hovering near his shoulder and side wounds while the other brushed its fingertips against her carpet floor for balance. "Um," he coughed and eyed her uncomfortably, "You're not gonna cry again, right?"

She stared at him tiredly, a slow, painful blink making up her answer.

"Right...well, look. I'm not gonna hurt you, okay? But I need to know how I ended up here. Alright?" His voice hardened somewhat, like he was trying to regain control of the situation simply by sounding tough.

She stayed silent- talking was just too much effort.

He waited for a response but, when he received none, he added experimentally, "...please?"

With some irritation, she realized he wasn't going to stop until he got an answer.

So Liza sighed and took in a deep breath, finding that filling her lungs made it just a bit easier to speak. "'Found you outside after the fight. Brought you inside. Hid you." She mumbled, feeling what energy she'd gained rapidly disappear.

"And these?" he gestured at the bandages and gauze carefully wrapped over his wounds.

She pointed limply at herself.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Why?"

She stared at him dully.

He leaned closer to her, glaring now as he repeated, " _Why_?"

"You wer' hurt." She answered, her tolerance level for this conversation dropping even faster as her exhaustion only increased.

"You-"

"I'm tired." She interrupted flatly, her patience and energy entirely depleted and leaving her without her usual sense of politeness. "I'm gonna go sleep...Stay here." She added the last part as an afterthought, her worn out brain barely remembering to input the command to say the words out loud.

"What?" he jerked back in what seemed like offense as she stood shakily, staggering to her door and unlocking it. "You can't just-"

"You c'n sleep on the bed." she muttered, shutting the door on his response.

* * *

It was a long night.

First he'd debated the pros and cons of escaping at length, angrily finding that his injuries would not allow him to go anywhere until he'd given them sufficient rest (as well as the unpleasant discovery he had a killer headache).

Then he had to figure out how to break the news to his brothers that, hey, he wasn't dead but he was stuck in a human's house, rather injured. Oh, and did he forget to mention the human had seen him and definitely knew he was a mutant turtle? Oops.

He settled with sending a group text that he was fine and would be back tomorrow, and then promptly turned off his phone.

He did manage to grab a few hours of sleep, (yes, he caved and slept on the very comfy bed,) but it was broken up by him jerking awake due to paranoia of attack while defenseless.

By five AM he was too wired to sleep any longer, too nervous by the knowledge that the girl and whoever else lived in this house would be waking soon, as well as wondering how badly his brothers had responded to the texts. Thank heaven Splinter was on a trip in Japan- otherwise he would be SO dead when he got home. (Granted he was already so dead, but not as bad.)

So he found himself absently testing how far his shoulder could bend without pulling the wound too much and how far he could twist without aggravating the slice in his side. When he finished with that, (amidst much angry muttering and frustration at his limitations,) he turned to examining the room he was stuck in.

There was a large bookshelf in one corner of the room, utterly packed with books or odd items that might've been mementos in every space possible. The dresser by the door was rather neat, the top covered in a wooden box, stuffed animals of varying species, and some photographs he didn't bother with. Her bed was on the left side of the room with a night table by the head and a stack of old, faded sketchbooks underneath.

Nothing much else.

There was a break in his examination when he heard a nearby door open, and sluggish footsteps plodded outside the room where he sat, breathless and coiled tighter than a snare drum for fear of discovery. Thankfully, the footsteps simply padded away to the downstairs realm and, after a minute or so of tense waiting, he cautiously went back to exploring.

He sifted through the bookshelf and poked at the stuffed animals, eyed the mementos with thoughts varying from 'what the flip is that?' to 'eh, don't care', wandering around the room in dull circles as he tried not to limp from a previously unnoticed sore ankle.

The ninja turtle paused by the night table, then crouched and scooped up one of the sketchbooks. Absently, he sat on the bed and examined it, moving to flip it open.

The slight noise of the doorknob turning had him flinging the sketchbook aside and his hands reaching for his sai that- _weren't there_?! He gave a sharp, horrified glance at his weapons' empty sheaths before his head snapped up, locking onto the startled brunette just entering the room with a wide eyed glare and his best attempt to get into a defensive stance.

"Ohgoodness!" She jolted, not expecting the sharp movement out of the corner of her eyes, and nearly dropped the paper towel wrapped bundle in her hand as she jumped, accidentally shutting the door a bit too hard with her shoulder. She huffed out a breath and her free hand held onto her chest, just over her heart. "You _scared_ me…"

"Not that surprising." He scowled, fighting the urge to rub at his aching shoulder and side that had not taken his quick movement well.

The brunette gave him a confused look, but seemed to shrug it off, taking a deep breath. "Um, I- I know we didn't get off on the right foot yesterday- er, last night? Anyways, um, I've brought a peace offering. So to speak." She hesitantly approached and shyly held out the bundle to him.

He arched an eyeridge at her critically, but accepted the package, unraveling it to reveal a peanut butter sandwich and a banana within.

"I thought you might be hungry..." She explained nervously, flushing at the look he gave her- startled, with a bit of 'seriously?' thrown in.

"Thanks…" Raph eyed her a moment, bewildered by this strange little wisp of a human, and cautiously took a bite of the offered sandwich. When he found it to be not poisoned, he was all too happy to oblige his rumbling stomach and devour it and the banana.

The girl awkwardly glanced around the room before deciding to inch forward and sink to the ground beside the bed, folding her legs neatly underneath herself. She stared at the floor, her gaze flicking up to his briefly as she tentatively spoke, "So, how are you doing?"

Mouth busy practically inhaling food, he narrowed his eyes at her.

She looked away quickly, her cheeks darkening. "I mean, your, uh, your wounds. Are they- do they hurt much?"

The ninja turtle shrugged, shoving down the wince at the sharp pain. "I've had worse." he grunted, turning away and missing the worry that flooded the girl's eyes before being reined back.

"I've heard that enough to know it means 'yes'." She murmured, swiftly avoiding his gaze and wincing when he glared. "Just saying."

"Well, what do you know?" He scoffed, restlessly crumpling up the banana peel in the paper towels.

"I know enough." Despite her words, her voice held no challenge or defiance to it.

It was still enough to ignite his temper.

"Yeah, sure. Cause you live such a hard life." He sneered, gesturing at the room around him. "Really suffering there."

The brunette stiffened, hazel eyes widening in shocked hurt. "I didn't mean t-"

"Sure you didn't." He rolled his eyes, scowl firmly set in place as his anger began to take hold. "Look, you don't know _anything_ about this kind of thing- don't pretend you do."

She flinched back at his acidic tone, one arm sharply rising as if to block a blow as her body twitched away.

It just made him angrier.

"What's the matter? Scared of the big bad mutant?" Raphael hissed. In the back of his mind he knew he wasn't being fair, but in the face of his fury at being trapped, injured and alone, at this girl's mercy and with her ridiculous presumptions, that part cowered and retreated. It almost always did.

The brunette recoiled a little farther, her arm trembling and seemingly unable to decide whether to curl against her chest or keep waiting for that imaginary blow. "No, I just-"

"You just _what_?"

"I just want you to stop!" She suddenly snapped, and though her tone held more desperation than anger, her eyes held the most hurt as she whipped her head up to bore a hole through him. "I get that you're upset, I get that you have it rough, and you're right! I _don't_ know what you've gone through, but you don't know what _I've_ been through either!

"So can you just-" her hands lifted as if she was gripping something tightly, then dropped as though she just couldn't bear to hold it anymore, and her voice abruptly quieted, like she didn't have the energy anymore " _-stop_? Okay? Please...just...just stop…"

Silence.

That had been completely unexpected. He honestly had no idea how to respond to the sudden outburst- an unfamiliar mix of open pain and sadness _without_ rage- and it seemed she didn't either. She simply closed her eyes and turned her face to the ground with her arms wrapped around herself.

The silence grew until it filled the room in a suffocating blanket, leaving the two looking anywhere but each other as they absorbed and mulled over the situation.

"I'm sorry…"

His head lifted, amber eyes widening at the words.

The brunette wasn't looking at him, her gaze fixed tiredly at a spot near him and her voice scarcely a rough murmur. "I shouldn't have shouted. It wasn't fair of me…and this is probably really hard for you."

He stared at her mutely, mouth open but no sound exiting.

She ducked her head, hair falling forwards and making a curtain between them, but he'd caught a glimpse of the pained twist to her lips. "I'm sorry…"

Raph shook his head. "You...you've got it all wrong…"

She tilted her head faintly, one hazel eye appearing to look up at him like a wounded puppy.

"I-..." He paused, pride fighting with his conscience not to show weakness, that he was in the right (about some of the things at least)! Conscience won with the logic that the girl was being enormously kind, and that this was not a fight with Leo. "I was being a jerk. And..unfair."

The brunette looked at him more fully, her eyes softening. "It's...understandable." She murmured.

"But not right." He grimaced, glancing at the crushed up paper towels that held the remains of her gift of food. His gaze flicked to hers. "Sorry."

"It's-" she cut herself off, shaking her head and offering a tiny smile for his efforts. "Thank you. All is forgiven."

He couldn't help the slight grin that pulled at the corners of his mouth- she had a strange, inherent sweetness that was startlingly endearing.

A muffled shout of, "Liza?" had the girl jolting and the ninja turtle whipping around in alarm.

* * *

 **FF: If any of you are questioning why Liza's acting so...'normal'ish with Raph- (i.e. talking to him like a normal person,etc)- she doesn't really have any other idea how to interact with him. She utterly baffled and is just trying to inch her way through the situation as painlessly as possible...doesn't seem like that's gonna work though. :/**

 **FF: ALSO- if you're wondering why Raph was bein' so mean earlier- I honestly don't think he'd take to this kind of situation well. Lotta stress and anger built up in that guy with no outlet. hence- meanness :(**


	3. Making a Plan

**FF: YAY! Thank you for reviewing! It's a big encouragement!**

 **Eryessa: I'm so glad you like it! I've been working hard! I update on Mondays, so each week they'll be a new chapter! (also it'll hopefully cheer up the worst day of the week- ugh. Monday.) :)**

 **MrCrazy134: My sister days that story is NOT dead, but she's working on some other stories right now, so it'll be a bit before she can post another chapter. Don't worry- it IS still going!**

 **FF: Ah, I'm so excited to have posted this story! Now then, where did we leave off again? Oh right...**

* * *

 **CHAPTER THREE**

The brunette sprang onto her feet in an elegant hop, looking like an alert rabbit as she called, "Be right there!"

Her head swiveled toward Raphael and one hand made a settling motion as she moved towards the door. "Stay here, I'll be back."

He opened his mouth to respond, but paused as she hunched her shoulders and gave him an apologetic look. "Nowhere to go. Right. I mean sorry, I- I'll be back."

The ninja turtle stifled a snort as the girl fled from the room, squeezing out swiftly and shutting the door in one smooth movement, but let a smirk appear on his lips.

He listened to the muffled conversation idly- whoever was out there, (a woman, it was a female's voice,) wanted to know how the brunette was doing, had she eaten yet, and if she wanted to watch something with her.

He wondered if what the mystery woman (her mom?) had called up was the girl's name. What had she said? Liza? Odd name, but then again, who was he to judge?

It was then he realized that they hadn't exchanged names- he and the girl, that is. Of course that was a good thing for him, too much information given (or taken) was a bad thing in the life he lived.

But _still_.

They'd known each other for, what? A day? A day and a half? And so far, all she'd done was help him. Besides, it's not like giving his name would be the end of the world…

Raph jerked his spine straight and shook his head sharply, ignoring the spike in achiness his shoulder gave out in protest of the jarring movement.

Why was he even thinking about this? It wasn't a big deal. Who cared about names? He'd leave soon enough and never see the girl-possibly-named-Liza again.

Wait- leave.

He needed to figure out a plan on how to leave and get back home. But such a thing was too much for him to plan alone without any resources given his injuries, which meant-

He tipped his head back and groaned.

He needed to call his brothers.

* * *

Five minutes later, he was still staring at his phone and trying to get the courage to make the call, wary of angry outbursts and trying to figure out how to explain.

Twenty minutes later found Raphael harshly whisper-yelling at his brothers on group chat as he explained what had happened- "No, seriously!" " _Woah, dude that's crazy!" "It's unbelievable, that's what it is. Who would honestly drag a mutant turtle into their house?"_ "Well, apparently her!" " _Right. This mystery girl. Who has no name."_ "Shut up, you jerk!"- skirting around his injuries and lack of weapons in favor of vehemently defending his truthfulness.

He jolted at the sound of a normal volume female voice noting, "You are very fortunate I got my mother to go out shopping."

He whipped around, instantly covering the phone with a pillow, to watch the brunette walk into the room, one hand gently massaging her forehead as she sat down and leaned back against the bed he was perched on. "What?"

The girl looked up and gave him a dry apologetic stare. "You don't whisper as quietly as you think, I'm afraid."

The red clad ninja tensed, dread and relief pooling together in his gut at the thought of the ramifications his mistake could've had, but that they hadn't happened. He did his best to ignore his side protesting the tension in his body too.

"It was all I could do to distract her enough with what needed to be done and talk over your…" She tipped her head in thought. "Not quite shouts, not quite whispers. No offense." She added hastily.

"What needed to be done?" He repeated, voice carefully neutral and eyes narrowed.

The brunette waved a hand aimlessly and sighed. "Groceries. Gas for the car. Something to get her out of the house."

He made a noncommittal noise, suspicions temporarily calmed.

"Oh!" The girl twitched, eyes widening in surprise as something seemed to occur to her. "Shoot, did I interrupt your phone call? I'm so sorry- I didn't mean to, I just wanted to tell you my mom left so you could relax a little!"

He paused, thrown by the sudden topic shift. After a second of hesitation, he opened his mouth to accept her offer but paused as a thought occurred to him.

His brothers didn't believe him about this whole situation.

Having the girl give some concrete proof would be a lovely smack in the face to the non-believers.

"Actually," He spoke the words slowly, warming to the idea. "Why don't you c'mere a second... I need some evidence that this is actually happening for my brothers."

Her hazel eyes narrowed warily at his devious tone, but she obliged, shifting so that she was kneeling facing him. "What do you need?" She asked cautiously.

Raph snickered, imagining his brothers' faces. "Just say something into this." He pulled out his phone from underneath the pillow and held it out, careful not to stress his shoulder wound.

The brunette gave him a nervous, wary look before she leaned towards the phone (which now was letting out some very displeased scolding) and hesitantly said, "Hello? Um, I'm not sure who I'm speaking to but, um, yes- I did help your brother last night."

The red clad ninja grinned widely and brought the phone up to his ear, listening smugly to the utter silence on the other end. "How's that for proof?" He smirked.

Instantly, Mikey squealed in sheer excitement. "DUDE _! Let me say something back!"_

Snorting, Raph held out the phone to the girl, who gave him a startled look. "Here."

Tentatively, she took it and asked a cautious, "Hello?" A moment passed as she listened, Mikey's voice audible but indistinguishable to the sai wielder, and then she laughed, a sweet, warm smile overcoming her face. "It's nice to meet you, Mikey. My name is Liza."

She paused, then gave a nervous chuckle and glanced to him, a blush dusting across her cheeks. "Well, we were a little preoccupied."

"Alright, that's enough chitchat." The sai wielder snagged the phone from the girl- Liza- from Liza's grip, eliciting a startled yip from her, and said dryly, "You got to say 'hi', let's get on with this."

Mikey whined. " _Aww, c'mon Raph!"_

" _I agree with Raph, actually."_ Donny piped up, ever pragmatic. " _We need to figure out how to get him home."_ He sounded like he wanted to say more, and the older turtle suspected he'd be receiving a carefully worded apology for his brother's disbelief when he got home.

"Yeah. So how're we doin' this? Pickup at midnight?"

" _Not a good idea. The Purple Dragons will most likely be watching the area just in case you're still around- which you are."_ Donny added, an unspoken grimace in his voice.

" _They didn't see Liza help you out did they?"_ Mikey asked, his tone an unusual mix of worry and seriousness.

Amber eyes widened, instantly understanding the implication- Liza could be targeted. "I don't know- hang on a sec." He lowered the phone and glanced to the brunette who'd been awkwardly looking around and trying not to listen in. "Hey, did anyone see you last night? When you helped me?"

She blinked, startled at being addressed, but answered quickly. "No, I don't think so. I looked around- like turning my head 'look'- and didn't see anyone. Didn't hear anyone either."

He turned back to the phone. "Liza says she didn't see anyone."

" _That's a relief."_ A quick sigh from Donny. " _One less person to worry about."_

" _Still,"_ Leo spoke for the first time since Liza had talked on the phone. " _I'd rather be safe than sorry. We'll need to patrol her neighborhood for the next week or so. Now- how are we going to sneak Raph out without tipping the Purple Dragons off?"_

The red clad ninja sourly noted that Leo said nothing at all about being completely wrong over the truth of his situation.

"I _am_ capable of sneaking out myself, Fearless." He growled, free hand curling into a fist. "Just meet me wherever and pick me up there."

He sharply glanced over when he heard a quick inhale and saw Liza watching him with wide nervous eyes. She looked away the moment he turned, biting her lip anxiously with a troubled expression on her face.

" _We can't pick you up_ 'wherever' _Raph, we need an actual_ place _."_ The blue clad leader's voice was tight when he answered, and all it did was fan the flames of Raphael's annoyance.

"Well, figure it out then- you're the _leader_!" He shot back, lips pulling back into a snarl.

" _Guys, chill!"_

" _This isn't the time for a fight! Look, Raph, can you get to Central Park?"_

"'Course I can, Donny." He stiffened, affronted by the very question of his abilities.

" _Good. Get somewhere unpopulated and I'll track your shell cell to pick you up- provided you keep it on, that is."_ Oh, Donny was a little angry about that, wasn't he?

He gritted his teeth. "Dangerous waters, Donny..."

" _We'll meet at midnight. Clear?"_ Leo asked, voice firm.

"Fine." Raph hissed and disconnected with an angry click, throwing the phone onto the bed beside him.

He seethed- he always did when he fought with Leo, no matter how short the argument was. The anger would get into his blood and circulate there until it was released, whether by hitting the punching bag with all his might or starting yet another fight, (though the second often made it worse).

"What's wrong?" The tiny whisper had him glancing up and his sharp glare made Liza flinch.

"Leo." He spat, turning his head and glaring at the ground. He'd meant to deflect or just reject her question entirely, but without any means of his normal venting he'd have to try verbal or end up stewing in his anger for who knew how long until he exploded with frustration.

Verbal was definitely the better option, both for himself and Liza, but he wouldn't vent to her. He'd just mutter darkly to himself about it all until he'd calmed enough to once again be in control. He just hoped she'd know better than to interrupt him.

The brunette's shoulders hunched at the venom in his voice, but she leaned a bit closer. "I'm assuming he's one of your brothers?"

"He's a pain in the neck, that's what he is."

"Oh." She blinked, glancing to the floor. After a moment, she asked softly, "Anything I can do to help?"

Raph paused, anger halting momentarily at the unexpected question. "...no. Not really." He answered slowly, eyeing the girl as a faint feeling stirred.

She nodded, glanced to him and then the floor. "I'm gonna be right back." She murmured, standing and padding quietly out of the room.

He watched her go, his anger settling to let a confused sort of thoughtfulness take its place. It was rare, so very rare, that he'd be offered assistance with his rage, instead of being carefully avoided, tiptoed around, or chided for it.

The feeling lightened the buried anger further, and he found it to be a mixture of surprise, gratitude, and respect. It was obvious his fury scared her- why else would she flinch away or put her arm up like she needed to defend herself, a motion that angered as much as it hurt- but the fact that she'd offered help regardless was something that made him look twice at her.

Not to mention the fact of how much she was risking for him, how much she'd already done for him- hiding him, caring for his injuries, feeding him, treating him like a person and not a freak- was resulting in a steadily growing amount of both gratitude and faint admiration.

After pondering on that for a moment, he frowned and roughly shoved the thoughts aside, a dark feeling pooling in his gut.

He was getting attached to Liza- that wasn't good.

Those his family grew attached to always got hurt somehow.

* * *

 **FF: Eh, not too pleased with this chapter, but we got a plan now! Operation: Sneak Raph Out begins next chapter!**


	4. Preparation

**FF: Hooray! Another update! Thank you so much, my reviewers! You be few but very kind!**

 **Guest: I'm so glad you like it! Don't worry, I've got around thirty chapters pre-written and more are on the way!**

 **FF: Right then, onto the story!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER FOUR**

"Hey…"

Raphael glanced up from his thoughts to see the brunette entering the room and carrying another paper towel bundle, a thermos, and an ice pack.

"Hey." He watched as she slipped over to him, noting absently that she seemed to possess an inherent grace in her movements.

She offered him the package with a shy smile, "Just in case you got hungry again." She kneeled and settled by the bed as he opened her offering to reveal another sandwich, this time accompanied by an apple. "Or for later, if you're not hungry now."

"Thanks." He nodded his head in gratitude and rewrapped the package to set it aside.

"The thermos is filled with water." Liza seemed like she was going to say more, but flushed and glanced away, fingering the ice pack as she stammered out, "And I, uh, I brought this for your wounds- either your shoulder or your side or your head. It should help keep the pain and swelling down."

He nodded again, taking the icepack and, after a moment of consideration, carefully held it against his bandaged side. He stiffened a moment, then let out a sigh as the cold worked to numb the pain.

"Better?" She asked hopefully, one hand hovering in the air by his leg as if unsure if it really wanted to reach out to him.

"Yeah, thanks." The red clad ninja gave her a small grin, and he tried to repress a larger one when her eagerly relieved and delighted smile gave a faint pulse of warmth in his chest.

"If you'd like, I can find a sling or something." At his confused look, she hurried to add, "F-for the ice pack. Y'know to keep it hands free."

Raph hummed, then shook his head. "Nah, I'm not gonna need this for long anyway."

The brunette hesitated, glancing to him and then swiftly looking away. "...I'm...not sure that's a good idea." She whispered.

"Why not?" He narrowed his eyes at her, amber slitting towards hazel.

She twitched at his almost glare, and stared at the floor, one hand rising to rub gently at her arm. "...it won't be easy to move hurt like that." Her gaze flickered to him a moment. "Are you sure you can actually get to where you need to go?"

"'Course I can!" He growled.

She finally looked at him straight on, and all she had in her expression was concern. "...Can you?" She asked softly. "Alone?"

The rising annoyance hesitated at the lack of challenge or patronizing in her voice and face, and he thought for a moment. "...yeah. I can." He nodded to himself, testing his arm's movement again carefully. "It's gonna hurt, but I can do it."

The brunette bit her lip, thinking. "...then...let me come with you?"

"What?" He straightened in surprise.

"I'm worried. About you…" She added quietly, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks. "So many things can go wrong alone, but...with backup, with a- with a human who could run interference…"

"And if things do go wrong? How am I supposed to defend either of us?" He pointed out gruffly, showing off his bandaged side and shoulder. "Those goons from last night may be idiots, but they got numbers."

The brunette stilled a moment, her gaze serious and calculating. "One moment please…" She said softly, standing and padding from the room.

She returned with his sais in her hands.

"My sai!" He jolted up, then hissed at the pain from his injuries, staggering back to sit again. Liza lurched forwards in alarm, beginning to reach out to him, but halted abruptly. "How- where'd you get them?"

"I found them laying beside you last night. I thought they might belong to you- the red matched your mask- but...I...I was scared." She murmured as she waited a moment for him to recover and then slowly approached. The brunette glanced down at the sais in her grasp, and then carefully held them out to him.

He took them eagerly, relieved and delighted to have his weapons back at last, but paused. He looked up at the girl, standing before him, and registered what she'd said and compared it to what she'd just done. "And...now?" He asked.

A faint smile turned her lips upwards and her gaze was apologetic but warm. "I'm still scared. But less so now." She admitted gently.

He'd just started to smile back when the sound of a door opening echoed through the house. "Liza!"

"Mom's home!" She whipped around, and called out, "Welcome home! I'll be right there!" Then she looked back to Raph, her mouth opening-

"Stay here. I got it." He arched an eyeridge at her.

"Actually I was going to say 'stay quiet'. Something equally as obvious." She giggled nervously as she slipped from the room.

He snorted.

* * *

Over the next few hours Liza spent with her mother elsewhere, Raph poked through her room more, finally put that sketchbook back from where'd he'd flung it (he was surprised she hadn't noticed it lying haphazardly on the floor), munched on the food and drained the thermos she'd given him, and tried out a few of the books in her bookcase.

Liza came back to the room in the late afternoon, looking more strained than before as she slipped in and shut the door. She let out a breath and brushed the hair from her face, biting her lip and staring worriedly at the floor.

"Liza?"

Her head snapped up and a nervous smile quickly appeared on her lips as she sharply turned to him. "Sorry, just lost in thought." She spoke the sentence almost mechanically, like it was an automatic response.

Raph arched an eyeridge, lowering the book he'd been flipping through. "You sure?"

Another wider smile. "Yeah, I'm fine."

He had to admit- she was good. Her expression was natural looking, shy and reassuring, and her voice was carefully modulated, no shake or crack in tone or unnatural pitches.

But her eyes betrayed the truth, too eager to persuade, too desperate to convince him.

The red clad ninja put the book down entirely and crossed his arms, inwardly cheering when his shoulder didn't protest enough to make him flinch. "Spill it."

"Pardon?" She tilted her head, her sweet expression pinching slightly in confusion.

Oh yes. Very good.

He glared directly into her gaze and his eyes narrowed. "I said spill it."

The brunette looked away, leaning back from him and shoulders hunching. "...it's nothing."

A scoff. "Yeah. Sure." he scowled when he gained no response except her shrinking in on herself. "Look, if somethin's bothering you, out with it."

She flinched, biting her lip again and beginning to toy with her hands. "I...I'm scared." She admitted softly, looking to him with big frightened hazel eyes.

"Yeah, I know you're scared of me. Old information." He rolled his eyes.

"No, not that- not you." She hastily corrected, stepping forward and partially reaching out a hand before quickly withdrawing it. "It's just- all this. This whole situation has me terrified. What if- what if my mom finds out about you? What if I can't hide you anymore? It's so _hard_ to be with my mom and keep this from her and I feel like I'm lying to her, but I'm not, I'm just not telling her which is like a lie by omission and I feel so _guilty_!"

Raphael blinked, startled by the flood of words pouring from the brunette's mouth. That was the most he'd heard her speak in the entire length of time he'd known her, (which was like a day and half, but I digress.)

"Not to mention I don't know how we're going to get you out of here! You have a plan right?" She looked to him worriedly.

"Uh, _yeah_. What do you think that phone call earlier was for?" He huffed.

"What is it?" She asked eagerly, then froze and frantically added, "I-I mean, _if_ I can know, I mean I want to help, but if not that's fine."

He hesitated a moment, then shrugged. "Whatever. You're already mixed up in this. Basically, I gotta sneak out of here without tipping off the Purple Dragons and get to Central Park where there's a pickup waiting."

The brunette blinked. "...that's it?"

"What do mean 'that's it'? What more do you want?" He scowled.

"How are you going to sneak out? The window? The fire escape? The back door? How are you going to get there without being seen?" She listed, seeming to get increasingly worried with each question. "Am I coming with you? How would you sneak past my-"

"Liza?"

The girl stiffened even as she whipped around and shouted through the door, "be right there!" She turned back, expression frantic, and backed towards the door. "See?!"

"If you panic like this, I'm definitely not taking you with me!" He hissed quietly at her, making her face twist in dismay as she shut the door and headed downstairs.

* * *

She returned at 9pm after telling her mother she was heading to bed. She then walked into the room, flicked off the lights, and sat on the bed beside Raphael, who'd been flipping through his previous books' sequel whilst laying on his shell.

He arched an eyeridge, annoyed by the sudden dark and confused at her willingly coming so close to him, almost brushing against his leg. It rose even higher when, the moment after sitting down, she popped back to her feet and sat on the floor.

Reading his silence correctly, Liza explained in a whisper, "I said I was heading to bed. This way I'm not lying..." he could sense her guilty flinch. "...right?"

He snorted, setting his book aside without marking the page. "You're such a goody two shoes."

"Better than a liar." She countered, her voice suddenly gaining a subtle, but hard edge.

He tilted his head. "Touche."

"So what's the plan?" The brunette asked, looking at him now that her eyes had adjusted to the dark. "The one to get you out of here."

"I can't use the fire escape- m'leg won't be able to hold up." He grimaced and glanced to his injured foot, throbbing faintly as if to warn him about pushing it too far. "At this point it seems the only way I'll get outta here is through the front door."

"...actually I think I can manage that." Liza murmured, eyes alighting with an idea. She stood and hurried to her dresser, carefully easing open a drawer and digging through the clothes there. "As well as help you get home."

"Uh, Liza? I see where you're going with this and, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not _quite_ your size." Raph pointed out sarcastically.

"I am aware of that," she answered, amusement seeping through her low tone, "but I keep some old clothes of my dad's in here for winter pajamas. Those might fit you."

"I have a shell."

"And he used to have a fast food addiction."

He snorted a laugh and a quiet giggle echoed from the brunette in return.

* * *

 **FF: Woohoo! Escape plan now in motion!**

 **FF: If any of you are wondering why exactly Raph couldn't use the fire escape- injured ankle. He needs as much stamina as possible to make it to central park and, making his way down a ladder, or trying to jump to the ground with an injured ankle, side, and arm? OW.**


	5. Sneaking Out

**FF: Hello's again! Time for another update! And thank you guys so much for your reviews- they really make my day! :)**

 **Queen Dove: Ah, yes. The majestic Raphael encumbered by numerous layers of clothing- truly, tis a sight to behold. ;P Don't worry- plenty to come!**

 **WOLFJADE28: Aw, thank you! And there is much to look forward to (i hope)!**

 **FF: Now then, an ANNOUNCEMENT if I may. If we can make it to 20 reviews, I will do a DOUBLE UPLOAD next week! Promise! Two chapters just for you guys! Think about it, and let's see what happens!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER FIVE**

"No."

"Why not?"

"It's way too dangerous and you'll just slow me down." Raphael hissed, squirming slightly as he adjusted the large T-shirt and jacket that didn't sit right on his shell.

The two were down by the front door, having snuck down after her mother's room started emitting snores. After a quick moment grabbing a jacket and a baseball cap from the downstairs closet, the duo had gotten into a hushed argument over if the brunette would accompany the disguised ninja.

"I won't! I promise!" Liza insisted, gesturing shyly at his struggles and slipping behind him when he heaved a sigh and shrugged. She tugged lightly at the hitching fabric, deftly smoothing it out and fixing it to fit his frame properly.

He looked awkward and hulking in the clothes, but no more so than the occasional ridiculously buff people that sometimes were spotted on the streets of New York. Or, at least, that's what the two were going for.

"And what about the Purple Dragons, huh? You gonna tell me you're a black belt or something?" He growled, flicking at the hat's visor irritably.

"No. But it's not like we're going looking for trouble." She pointed out, moving to stand in front of him again. "Besides, you're in disguise and we'll be surrounded by people! We'll just be another two people in the crowd."

"Uh-huh." He muttered sourly.

"I'm sorry. I know this has to be nerve wracking…" Liza sighed, her gaze falling. "But it's the quickest way to Central Park and you can't roofhop."

They'd had a quick conversation about that already up in her room whilst trying to get the disguise to fit- Raph insisted on roofjumping but Liza refused, pointing out his injuries would limit how far he could go just walking, let alone roofhopping. He'd asked if she had a better idea, and they'd both reluctantly agreed to the idea of just walking through the streets (heavily disguised) to the park. It wasn't anything Raph hadn't done before, really.

He kept that bit of info to himself.

"It's fine." Raph huffed, tugging the visor down over his face and hiking up the jacket's collar. "Let's just go."

The brunette perked, eyes widening. "So I _can_ go with you?"

He gave her a look. "If you can handle it."

She nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes, I can! I've even got a GPS just in case we get lost!" She pulled out the electronic from her pocket to show him and shoved it back inside, hurrying to the door and ever so carefully opening it so as not to awake her mother.

"You just think of everything don't'cha." He teased as he walked out, testing how his sore ankle was doing.

"..." The brunette quietly shut and locked the door behind them, then hurried to fall in step beside him. "I try to…" She murmured, voice surprisingly soft, almost sad.

He arched an eyeridge, eyeing her confusedly, but didn't ask.

It took a while, threading awkwardly through crowds and trying to stay unnoticed. It wasn't hard of course- why would anyone care about the weird guy with the intimidating glare? That was basically every New Yorker- and Liza proved herself to be able to keep up with him, sticking close to his side but careful not to touch as she almost effortlessly slipped through the gaps between people.

Raph would never have admitted it out loud, but he'd begun to feel rather protective of the slim brunette dutifully following along and keeping watch for danger with acceptably subtle glances. She was trying to so hard to be helpful and capable for him, but she was just so...fragile.

He'd known her for a day and a half- or two days by now- and despite the tiny bursts of sternness from her, she just gave off this vibe to him that said, _I'm scared. I need protection. I'm small and defenseless._

Maybe it was because she reminded him of Mikey, small and sweet and smiley (only her energy was subtle and steady, not bright and exuberant).

Regardless, anyone who glanced over at either of them for a little too long got a sharp amber gaze warning them off and he stepped a little closer to the brunette just in case. Liza's eyes would flick to him a moment if she noticed, but she never said a word.

At one point, Raph spotted a Purple Dragon member through the crowd, moving in a direction that would send him right past the duo. If they tried to hide they'd attract his attention, but if they kept going there was the risk of him seeing Raph.

Quickly, the disguised ninja turtle turned to Liza, hiding his face from the man, and asked in a smoother and higher pitched voice, "I told you, we _are_ going the right way!"

Liza looked to him, baffled, but, after only one look at his face and a split second hesitation, answered, "What? No, we aren't! Why can't we just ask for directions?"

He rolled his eyes, catching a quick glimpse of the gang member almost by them, just four people away. "Again with that? I know where we're going!"

"I'm just saying! It'd be nice to know for sure, you know?" She insisted.

"I do know for sure!" He protested, shifting so he'd walk into her personal space and guide them smoothly away from the man.

She easily changed course with him, with a sigh of, "Really? Because I think we've been here before!"

"No we haven't!" He glanced subtly behind them, at the slowly disappearing man, and then looked to the brunette. "Good job." He told her quietly, letting his voice go back to normal.

"I don't know why we had to do that, and I don't want to." She answered, her voice wobbling a little as she stared straight ahead and kept walking. "Are we safe?"

"More or less." He muttered.

He didn't miss the way she walked just a bit closer to him after that. He didn't move away.

* * *

The made it to Central Park around 11, and it took them a half hour to find a suitably abandoned area to hide in. A half hour in which Raph's sore ankle- worn out from all that walking- finally gave out, leading to the brunette doing her best to help him stay upright- she was a sturdy little thing, despite her slim build, but they still staggered and nearly collapsed multiple times.

Eventually, they discovered a little alcove hidden behind some overgrown bushes and and cluster of thick trunked trees- a perfect little hidey hole with an added bonus of being near a quiet road.

The brunette helped him sit and lean back against a tree in their secluded hiding place, her touches feather light and hesitant when he no longer needed her support. "You okay?" She asked worriedly, hovering beside him in a crouch.

"I'm fine." The red clad ninja turtle nodded, shifting a little. "You can head back- I got this part covered."

"What? I'm not leaving you!" She sounded shocked at the very thought.

"Liza, this part is just waiting. I'm hidden, no one's around, I'm waiting for my brothers to pick me up." He said gruffly. "I'm _fine_. You can go."

Hazel eyes narrowed faintly in determination and...something else. Something sad. "I'm not leaving until I know for sure you're safe." She insisted softly, shifting to kneel beside him, and somehow her quiet voice was more convincing than one heated or firm.

Raph sighed, a big huff of air, and let his head fall back against the tree trunk. He turned his head towards her and gave her an annoyed look. "Fine. You can stay for the utterly thrilling task of waiting who knows how long. But then you're going home! Got it?"

She smiled, and he had a feeling she saw right through his annoyance to the faint gratitude hiding underneath- waiting alone would've been a bore beyond imagination. "Thank you." She whispered.

* * *

The first ten minutes of waiting went just fine, the two sitting in peaceful silence and looking around at the trees after Raph shed the annoying disguise- he kept the jacket on though, not wanting his brothers to see the amount of bandages wrapped around himself.

After that Liza started getting jumpier, flinching at the occasional noises filtering through the foliage to their hiding place. A few times she even hopped to her feet, carefully glanced around and then lowered herself back down with an embarrassed apology, though she did suspiciously stare at a spot even as she apologized before looking around again.

Raph found her nervous antics amusing for a while, then just plain annoying. He only had to reach out and grab the hem of her shirt and yank her down to sit once, and she stayed seated for the rest of the wait- something he appreciated but didn't voice, simply leaning against his tree and closing his eyes.

The long minutes passing by, dragging them deeper into the nighttime, took their toll on the brunette. Her head lowered and she started nodding off several times, only to shake herself awake and struggle to keep her eyes open.

He glanced over to see the poor thing swaying lightly, a dazed and exhausted look on her face. She must not have been used to staying out so late, not to mention the stress from the previous days wearing her down.

The red clad ninja didn't say a word when she finally gave into slumber, staying silent even when her head was pillowed on his shoulder.

* * *

Raphael had started to doze off himself when he heard the engine unique to the Battle Shell pulling up somewhere nearby. He straightened, relief and sudden impatience to be home shooting through him.

Liza, awoken by his abrupt perk, blinked confusedly around at the alcove, eyes sleep sticky and disoriented. It only took a second, but when she realized where she was she jolted up into a crouch, alarmed into alertness.

"Hey, relax." He hissed, tapping her shoulder and starting to get up. He completely missed the way she flinched and then gave him a stunned look, like she couldn't believe he'd voluntarily touched her. "It's my brothers- they're here."

"Oh, oh right!" The brunette stammered, hurriedly and shyly slipping underneath his arm to help him stand. With a grunt, they heaved to their feet and carefully balanced themselves. "You okay?" She asked.

"I'm fine!" Raph glanced to her. "You can go now. Everything's fine."

"You sure?" She hesitated, wary and skittish. "How do you know it's them?"

"Believe me, I know." He rolled his eyes. He'd spent how many hours helping Donny with the Battle Shell? "Now go on- don't want your mom waking up and freaking out, right?"

"I-"

"RAPH!"

An orange blur suddenly streaked from the trees towards them and grabbed him into a massive embrace, accidentally snagging the brunette as well.

"Mikey, OW!" Raph choked out, clenching his jaw against the pain his injuries were abruptly broadcasting. He was pretty sure he heard a crack, but whether it was from himself or Liza he had no idea.

"Oops, sorry, sorry!" The nunchuck wielder quickly released them, bouncing on his heels. "I was just so excited t-"

He froze, staring wide eyed at Liza, who was trying to catch her breath and partially hide behind the red clad ninja. "Dude…who's that?"

"That's what I'd like to know."

The brunette jumped with a sharp gasp and whipped around to stare up in terror as Leonardo emerged from the shadows behind the trio, expression dark.

* * *

 **FF: oh dear- big bro is mad :( Quick Liza! Hide!**


	6. Success!

**FF: Tis time for another update! We didn't make it to 20 reviews, aw :( Oh well, the story shall go on! We'll try another time yeah? :D**

 **Queen Dove: Interesting indeed! Me too- I don't think Liza was prepared for this!**

 **FF: Thanks for your wonderful reviews! On with the story!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER SIX**

Liza's mouth opened but no sound came out, too startled and frightened to speak as she stared at the slowly advancing blue clad turtle.

"I would assume that's Liza." Donatello answered lightly, slipping up beside Mikey and curiously observing the girl.

She jolted and whipped around again, her neck straining from how she was trying to keep an eye on all three newcomers at once. She shrunk in on herself, frightened by the intimidation and the way all three were staring at her, (though Donny and Mikey's looks were far more gentle than Leo's.)

Raph growled and stepped forward, situating himself between the brunette and his older brother. "Yeah, it's Liza. Chill out for a sec, will ya?"

"This is so _cool_! I wanted to meet you when we talked on the phone but I didn't think you'd be here but you are! This is _great_!" Mikey cheered, grabbing the overwhelmed girl's hand and shaking it excitedly with a huge grin on his face.

"Easy, Mikey." Donatello chided quietly, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder when he got a little too exuberant with the handshake.

Liza struggled to keep up, still wide eyed and pale with nerves, but managed a nod and a weak smile amidst the enthusiastic hand-shaking, as well as an attempt to shake back.

"This wasn't part of the plan, Raphael." Leo said lowly, eyeing the brunette distrustfully before turning his gaze to his brother.

"When have our plans ever gone off without a hitch?" Raph rolled his eyes, shifting his weight so as not to strain his non-injured ankle too much.

"They would if you'd listen to them."

"I'd listen if they were any good."

"Guys, can you not?" Donny frowned at them. "There are bigger issues here."

"You're right- like what to do with Liza." The blue clad leader sent another look towards Raph. "Who shouldn't have been here."

Amber eyes narrowed dangerously. "What, like _you_ could've-"

"Dudes!"

All three brothers turned to see their youngest enveloping the poor girl in a hug, his bright grin even wider than before.

"She's so _cute_! Can we keep her?" He squealed, holding her a bit tighter. Liza winced but didn't struggle, managing a gentle pat on his arm. "Please, please, please, _pleeeeeeeeease_?"

"Mikey, she's not a stray dog." Donny shook his head.

"Awww, but Raph got to keep Casey...!" Mikey whined, bonking his head against the brunette's possessively. She gently leaned her head against his, her eyes flicking up nervously before quickly returning to the ground.

"And we regret that to this day." The purple clad ninja sighed.

"She's not coming with us, Mikey." Leo said firmly. "End of story."

He pouted, but after a stern look he relented and allowed his arms to slacken around the brunette. "Sorry, Liza."

She gave him a small smile and tentatively patted his arm. "It's okay." She murmured, nervously glancing over towards the older brothers with anxious hazel eyes. "You guys should be going soon anyways. Raph needs medical attention."

"He's tough- besides, scrapes and bruises are an occupational hazard!" Mikey put his hands on his hips, puffing out his chest a little in a superhero stance imitation and missing Leo's warning look.

"We're pretty durable, miss. No need to worry." Donny added, giving her a quick smile.

Liza's brow knit in confused worry, glancing at Raph, who narrowed his eyes at her. "I'm sorry, I don't think I quite understand." She did her best to ignore the red clad ninja subtly shaking his head and mouthing 'don't' at her and asked, "Gashes and needing stitches are normal?"

" _What_?"

All three brothers wheeled around to stare at Raph, who sent the brunette an annoyed glare. She winced, hunching her shoulders, and gave him an apologetic look.

"Where?" Donatello advanced, eyes scanning his brother up and down and his hands reaching for the jacket.

"Nowhere, because I'm _fine_!" Raph growled, smacking away his hands and bristling.

Donny glanced to the brunette.

"Left shoulder and side." Liza whispered, flinching at Raph's furious, betrayed glare. "Sorry…"

"Traitor!" He hissed, attempting to fend off Donatello's second attempt.

"And you know this _how_?" Leo questioned, expression dark as he took a step towards the brunette.

She shrunk in on herself, frightened by the intensity in his gaze, but managed to answer shakily, "He was fighting some Purple Dragons outside my home. I brought him inside and patched him up."

"That's what Raph said too!" Mikey piped up, standing behind the girl and dropping a hand encouragingly on her shoulder. "See, Leo? It's all good!"

He made a small noncommittal noise, narrowing his eyes before sharply turning at Raphael's shout.

"OW! Watch it, genius!" The red clad ninja hissed, his brother finally having peeled the jacket aside enough to start examining the bandages.

"How bad was it?" Donny glanced over towards the brunette.

"Pretty bad. There was a lot blood. I-I did what I could, but…" She shrugged helplessly.

"What'd you do?"

"Cleaned out the wounds with warm water, put on some antibacterial cream where I could, and bandaged it up." She answered, her words sounding almost practiced. "I used some butterfly bandages to close the gash on his side up, but it needs stitches."

"I'll need to get him to the lair to do that." The bo wielder looked to his eldest brother, straightening.

"Then let's move." He nodded, glancing at Raph.

The sai wielder grunted, walking over to the brunette (and trying to hide his still sore ankle), and handed her the jacket.

"Thanks." She said quietly, her gaze flicking up to his worriedly as she took it. She nodded lightly towards his ankle, but gestured at his shoulder with her hand. "You gonna be okay?"

He scoffed. "It's gonna take a lot more than this to take me down."

The brunette laughed softly, her hands gently fiddling with the jacket and her gaze downcast.

"Get home safe, okay Liza?" He patted her on the shoulder, giving her a smirk when she looked up, wide eyed with surprise at the contact. "Don't go looking for trouble."

She smiled, a startled awed upturn of her lips and a brightening in her eyes. "I never do." She shyly stepped past him and started to pad away before turning back. "Bye." She whispered with a tiny wave.

"Bye Liza!" Mikey waved enthusiastically. "Call me! Or I'll call you!"

Liza giggled quietly as she bent to gather the rest of Raph's shed disguise, and slipped from the alcove to hurry home.

"Call you? Really?" Donny arched an eyeridge.

"You're just jealous she likes me." He grinned, crossing his arms proudly.

"You don't even have her number-"

"Guys, are we heading home or what?" Raph interrupted, leaning against a tree and subtly lifting his sore ankle off the ground. "I've had a long day."

"That's obvious." Leo muttered, sharp eyes noting the lack of weight on his leg. "Is there something wrong with your leg?"

"You mean besides the cuts and scrapes?" The sai wielder asked sarcastically.

"Yes." His voice was flat.

"Let me see." Donny quickly walked over and crouched, hands touching the limb to figure out where the injury was. "Stop kicking, Raph-"

"I told you guys, I'm _fine_! Don't- OW!"

"You're 'fine' are you?" The purple clad ninja frowned, carefully examining his ankle. "You've got a sprained ankle, not too bad but enough to warrant at least a week of no weight on it."

"Did you limp all the way here?" Leo asked, brows furrowing in worry.

"It wasn't that bad…" Raph muttered.

"We've got to get you home. Anything else you're hiding?" The blue masked leader asked, a very faint hint of teasing in his dry voice. "A broken wrist? Cracked rib? Wrenched knee?"

"Well I _do_ have a concussion..." He admitted snarkily as he reluctantly accepted Mikey's offer of support.

* * *

Two hours later had everyone at home and in the medbay.

Raph's cuts and scrapes had been checked over, the brunette's treatment of them blessed with Donny's seal of approval, the bandages unwrapped and the injures examined.

Raph hissed in pain when the butterfly bandages were delicately and carefully removed, and gripped the cot he was laying on especially tight when the stitches were put in, Leo and Mikey looking on in sympathy and concern.

"Okay, stitches are done." Donny announced, setting aside the needle and thread and washing his hands to remove the smears of blood.

"It's gonna leave a wicked scar, Raph." Mikey noted, wincing a little despite his encouraging tone.

"As long as the stitching is over with, I can live with that..." Raph muttered, huffing out a breath of relief and attempting to look. He tried leaning forwards, but winced as the wound pulled, and lay back down. "How bad was it, Donny?"

The purple clad ninja paused amidst drying his hands off. "...We owe Liza. Big time."

"What do you mean?" Leo narrowed his eyes.

"I mean, if Liza hadn't treated his injuries as well as she did, Raph very well could have bled out." Donatello answered, his voice low and concerned.

"She saved his life?" Mikey's eyes widened as Raph gave his younger brother a disbelieving stare. Leo was speechless, mind awash with how many ways it could've all gone wrong.

"And kept him safe and helped him get home." Donny shook his head. "You chose the right yard to pass out in, Raph."

* * *

 **FF: Yep. Liza did a good job, eh? I wonder where she learned to do all that...**


	7. Defenseless

**FF: (OMGOODNESS I FORGOT TO POST THIS EARLIER I'M SO SORRY!) Woo! Now the fun begins in this chapter! Well, not quite 'fun', little of this is part fun...**

 **Queen Dove: haha, yep! Aw, don't be upset Leo's just worried 'bout his bros hangin' around strange people they just met! Stranger danger, y'know?**

 **Rhodesincolumbus: Aww, thank you! I'm so glad you like it! :)**

 **FF: now let the, uh, not-fun fun begin!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER SEVEN**

Liza was exhausted, shifting the straps on her backpack as she tiredly trudged along and occasionally glanced at the GPS in her hand.

It had been two weeks since she'd met Raph, and life had somewhat stabilized.

Of course, the morning after she'd slipped back inside undetected, she'd told her mother that she'd snuck out the night before, unable and unwilling to lie or cover it up. When pressed for a reason, all she'd said was that she had a friend who desperately needed her help.

Nothing else, no matter how many times an answer was demanded of her.

Predictably, after the near meltdown, angry/worried explosion from her mother, and phone call to her father so she could be scolded worriedly by him as well, she was grounded from electronics and from going anywhere except home and school for a month.

Not that she went anywhere else to begin with.

The brunette sighed and stared at the ground as she automatically stepped and tilted to the side to avoid someone's elbow from poking her ribs as its owner brushed past.

Seven months in New York and she still had nowhere to go, no one to see. She supposed she was disappointing some universal law that stipulated every teenager needed to have a gaggle of friends to hang out with- but she didn't really care. She liked silence, time alone to ponder and daydream and sketch to her heart's content, and preferred her schoolmates as acquaintances. It was less stressful and judging that way.

Besides, she had other things to occupy her time.

Like wondering what on earth the turtle brothers were doing hanging around her neighborhood!

Granted, she'd only caught a few glimpses here and there, some split second image in the corner of her eye that had her double taking in an attempt to see something no longer there. But there were some instances where the dark inhuman silhouette would pause for just a moment and wave from its perch atop a building.

She always did her best to wave back in those precious few seconds before whoever was up there vanished in the blink of an eye.

When she'd figured out it was them, she'd been confused, completely baffled as to why they'd hang around. She'd had a few heartstopping moments of panic where she'd wondered if she were in danger and that's why they'd appeared, but, as the days passed and no threat presented itself, she disregarded that theory.

It was odd to be...well, stalked wasn't the right word- their presence feeling far too benign to be labeled as stalking. 'Watching over' felt more appropriate.

Either way and confused as she was over it all, she found she felt rather comforted by their vigilance, even touched.

But after a week, she no longer caught the glimpses, no longer saw any dark figure cheerfully waving at her and then slipping away with an occasional extravagant flip.

Liza knew it was dangerous for them to be out and about- how could she not? They were _mutants_ for heavens sake- and figured that they had better things to do with their time, especially if what Raph had been doing the night they met was any indicator: fighting bad guys and keeping gang activity low.

Even so, she tried to bury the loneliness and sense of abandonment their absence caused, chastising herself that she had no right to feel so.

The brunette sighed and checked her GPS again, cursing her lack of navigational skills.

The bus had run too late so she'd tried to call her mother to pick her up, (via the now 'only for emergencies' cellphone,) only for her message to go to voice mail. Which left her tiredly slogging her way through droves and droves of people and crowds and scrambling nervously along crosswalks, still unused to the impatient and aggressive driving tendencies of New Yorkers.

It was thanks to her lingering skittishness that she managed to spot the figure leaning back against the wall of an alleyway- a tall brunet man with his arms crossed and dark brown eyes watching the crowd pass by.

Liza kept her glances at him subtle, a faint alarm bell ringing in her head that she tried to soothe. It wasn't like she walked by the alleyways, preferring to stay near the middle or the road side of the crowd where it was safer, so why should she be worried? Besides, she was nobody. Just another person in the crowd.

She held onto the feeling though, keeping alert as she passed by and continued on her way.

Nothing happened.

She kept careful watch as she walked, making certain to steer clear of any shady corners or alleyways and look at who was around her. After a few minutes of nothing, she began to feel silly for getting so spooked, but still the feeling remained.

So she kept looking and bracing herself for something to happen.

It wasn't enough.

As the brunette speedwalked along, something cold and hard pressed into her side as an arm slung around her waist and a voice growled, "Do anything and you'll have a hole blown through you, got it?"

Her blood chilled and her heart practically stopped, she hadn't any breath to speak or scream as she staggered midstep. She straightened quickly, face pale and eyes wide in terror.

"This way."

Helpless with fear- it was a gun. A _gun_ was pressed into her side- she obeyed, heart in her throat and barely beating. When she saw the alleyway she was being guided to, she tried to stop, her mind suddenly aware of the people around them restricting what her captor could do.

He seemed to sense her body tensing in preparation to resist and a hand clamped down on her wrist painfully tight, locking her arm to her side and bringing her flush against him.

Immobile and defenseless.

When the two were (un)safely in the alley's shadows she was flung to the wall, the impact forcing half the breath from her body and making her slide down to the grimy concrete, coughing.

"Got her."

"You sure this is the right one?"

Liza sucked in a sharp breath as she lifted her head, terrified hazel eyes staring in horror at the three men standing over her. One was that brunet man she'd seen before, another was a black haired man with brown eyes, and the last was a teen with scruffy brown hair and blue eyes.

The teen was holding a baseball bat.

"Yeah I'm sure!" The brunet man growled, gesturing at her with the gun in his hand and making her flinch away.

"Let's see for sure." The black haired man insisted as he turned to the terrified girl, who was shaking and pressed up against the wall.

She gasped and let out a soft noise of fear when he grabbed her chin, large fingers gripping her face tightly. Her arms jerked upwards but halted midway, frightened of what fighting back might cause.

The man held up a phone beside her head, looking back and forth between it and the brunette. "Yeah, it's her." He gave a 'huh' and tilted her head side to side, her eyes flicking everywhere in a panic. "Doesn't look like much..."

"Whatever. If the boss wants her, he wants her." The teen huffed, rolling his eyes.

"Sam get the car yet?"

"Yeah, he'll be here in a minute or two."

No.

No, this would not happen. She would not go with them. If they needed her alive that gave her a measure of protection against them that might give her enough leverage to make it to the sidewalk where there were people, _witnesses_!

With a cry, she shoved the man off of her, forcing him to the ground from the unexpected attack. She scrambled to her feet, rushing to get away, but cried out when the brunet grabbed her arm. He jerked her backwards and grabbed a fistful of her hair, yanking her head back.

"SOMEONE HEL-" She tried to scream, but something smashed into the back of her head and everything just…

...went

…..dark….

* * *

 _Six days later..._

* * *

 **FF: oh dear...that's not good.**


	8. Rescue incoming!

**FF: Hallo again! Thanks so much for your reviews and thanks for lurking about my story! I'm glad you like it! :)**

 **WOLFJADE: Don't worry, here's another chapter! and AUGH I KNOW MY POOR BABY D8**

 **FF: Hurry- go read and see if Liza's okay!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER EIGHT**

"GOT IT!"

"Gimme that!"

Mikey stuck out his tongue as he waggled the remote teasingly in the air, racing around the lair with his hotheaded brother in close pursuit. "No way, Raphie! I got a show to catch!"

"Doesn't matter- you've been hogging the TV all day!" Raphael growled, swiping at the clicker only for the speedier turtle to toss it to his other hand and slip around him. "It's my turn!"

"But I'm the one who's got _this_!" Mikey held up his prize triumphantly, and dodged another attempt to steal it.

"Guys, you know you can just go up and change the channels manually, right?" Donatello pointed out, exiting the kitchen with a mug of coffee in one hand and a computer magazine in the other.

"Ha! That was funny, bro!" Mikey snorted in laughter, zipping past his genius brother.

"Why I even bother…" He muttered to himself, taking a step back to avoid his orange clad sibling and lifting his coffee mug out of the way as his red clad sibling charged past.

He sipped at his drink as he padded over to the couch and absently checked with channel it was left at.

Oh. The news channel.

He grimaced.

While occasionally a good source of information, the news was just plain depressing most times. He shook his head and tucked his magazine under his arm, walking forwards to simply turn off the TV.

He froze when, just as he clicked the power button, a picture of a frighteningly familiar girl popped up on the news screen before turning black. Frantically, he jammed the button down to make the TV turn back on and watched, wide eyed.

"Guys!" He yelled, backing up from the screen and angling his head to shout, but unable to take his eyes off it. "Guys, _look_!"

"What's up, Do- that's Liza." Mikey's teasing grin dropped like a stone and he skidded to a halt the instant he recognized the face plastered across the TV.

Raph braked hard and staggered to the side to avoid slamming into Mikey, his original intent to tackle him blown away when Liza's name was spoken. His head snapped up and he stormed over to the couch, amber gaze glued to the TV screen.

"It's a missing person story…" He said, voice rougher than normal.

"Liza got kidnapped?" Mikey's eyes widened.

"Liza got _what_?" Leo, just entering the room, tensed.

"The news report says she went missing almost a week ago," Donny turned towards his elder brother, voice urgent. "Leo-"

"The Purple Dragons found her." He finished lowly, walking over to join the group.

"We gotta get her back." Raph growled. "We owe her, we've gotta-"

"Of course we're going to get her back." The blue clad leader interrupted, looking over at his brother's stare. "You're right- we owe her. And she's an innocent in all this. Donny-"

"Already on it." He waved a hand as he hurried to his lab. "Tracking any Purple Dragon activity and triangulating their base of operations."

"They must've been waiting for us to leave." Mikey looked to his remaining brothers, baby blue eyes wide with worry and realization. "They took her a week after we stopped patrolling- enough time to make sure we weren't coming back."

Leo grit his teeth, his hand clenching into a fist. "This is my fault. I should've had one of us check back at least once, just to make sure-"

"Stop blaming yourself, s'not like you knew this would happen." Raph snapped, every muscle in his body tight with tension and the need to punch something- preferably some goons who thought kidnapping innocent girls was a good idea. If anything, this was all his fault. If he'd never gone out that night, if he'd never been there, this wouldn't have happened.

But it did.

Because of him.

"Yeah, and Donny can figure this out super fast!" Mikey added, ignoring the anger in his hotheaded brother's voice. "We'll get over there, kick some butt, and save the day!"

Leo sighed, forcing his hand to relax. "I hope you're right, little brother…"

* * *

 _2 Hours later..._

* * *

...How long had it been since she'd seen the sun?

Exhausted hazel eyes dragged themselves upwards to stare dully at the dirty, flickering florescent light attached haphazardly to the ceiling. Just a few inches past it was the connector that held the chains binding her wrists vertically, forcing her to stand continuously.

At this point though, she'd sacrificed her wrists to slump and let her legs go limp time and time again, only to force herself upwards again when the pain got too much and fresh blood dribbled down her arms.

How long had it been since she'd been taken?

Liza couldn't remember. How could she tell time when those horrible people locked her away in a concrete cage? Her cell had only a door, the light, and the chains.

But she knew days had passed at least.

Her captors had used the time to question her on everything they could about the turtle brothers- their weaknesses, where their lair was, what she'd done for them, how attached they were to her.

She'd tried to resist at first, refusing to answer them, but after a few rounds of their….'persuasion' she'd given in. It was an immense relief for her that what she could give was merely their names and what she'd done for them. She'd even given a weak, bloodied smile and declared that it didn't matter now, they were safe and untouchable now.

The Purple Dragons weren't very pleased with that.

They seemed to be under the false impression that she knew more and were insistently trying to pry it out of her. But what could they pry when nothing was left? Any attempt of convincing them she truly knew nothing more was met with anger or dark amusement, and often ended with an extra blow to her already battered body.

Her throat was raw from her screams and her eyes red from tears, with one swollen shut and purple. Her skin was mottled with bruises of all sizes and colors in various early stages of healing, as well as a few scrapes and cuts that were still scabbing over. Dried blood coated her wrists, made small lines down her forearm, and stained the corners of her mouth and nose. Her ribs ached and throbbed continuously, and, though she'd been terrified of internal bleeding or broken bones, she hadn't the energy to care anymore.

Her clothing was filthy and ragged at the edges- she was grateful they still covered her decently. She'd been terrified of the other kind of physical torment, but the evidence of such rampant abuse she'd already endured apparently repulsed instead of attracted, thank heavens.

If they remembered, once a day or so (she assumed), she was released to go to the bathroom and given some scraps of stale bread to eat before being rechained.

She'd tried to fight, but her strength was quickly sapped from the pain, abuse, lack of sleep and food, and exhaustion.

She'd held on to hope of escape or rescue for all of four days, (at least, she thought it was four days,) desperate for anything to cling to, some kind of comfort.

Now the only comfort she could wish for was that her death would be swift and painless.

"Hey, girl…"

She lifted her head stiffly, her lungs sucking in a quick burst of air as her weary eyes widened in fear at the man entering the room.

"Ready to talk today?"

* * *

 **FF: ANNOUNCEMENT- I will post a BONUS chapter tomorrow! I can't bear to leave you guys hanging like this (for now), so your suffering at this cliffhanger shall soon be eased!**


	9. Rescued but-

**FF: here's the bonus chapter!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER NINE**

It had only taken two hours for Donatello to figure out where the base was and for them to gear up, jump into the Battleshell, and sneak into the abandoned facility.

It had only taken ten minutes to get halfway through it and snag a Purple Dragon for questioning.

His confession had taken less than a minute to retrieve.

"That was faster than expected." Donny noted as he watched the man slump to the ground, unconscious.

"Well put yourself in his shoes- Raph's face would scare anybody into talking!" Mikey snickered, then yelped quietly at the smack his red clad brother gave him.

"Shut up, Mikey." He growled, sparing a glare for the nunchuck wielder.

"Guys, focus. We're supposed to be stealthy, remember?" Leo hissed as he checked around the corner of the hallway.

When the coast was clear, he nodded and the group swiftly darted along the corridors using the directions given by the gang member they'd questioned.

Along the way there were some bumps in the road- startled gang members just walking around corners were easy to take out, but the ones who were alarmed by the fall of their associates were a little harder- but they managed to make the journey relatively undiscovered.

Relatively.

" _Shoot_!" The blue clad leader muttered under his breath, hearing an alarm go off and startled shouts echoing down hallways just as their destination's door appeared at the end of the corridor.

One of the gang members they'd taken out must've woken up and raised the alarm.

"C'mon guys, double time!"

"Way ahead of you, Fearless!" Raph charged forwards, indeed surging ahead of his brother, and rammed the door.

It gave way almost immediately under his powerful assault and he rolled with the momentum, popping back onto his feet as his brothers burst in alongside him, ready f-

They all flinched at the ear shattering scream of agony that ripped through the room the moment they made their entrance- the brunette they were attempting to rescue chained before them as a man spun around, blood spraying to the floor and staining the knife in his hand.

Leo and Raph lunged at the same time- the blue clad leader viciously swiping the man's feet out from underneath him and Raphael slamming a roundhouse into the man's ribcage midair, sending the human flying.

Mikey and Donatello rushed to the girl slumping prone with her wrists- her bleeding, bloodstained wrists- shackled above her and supporting her entire body weight.

"I gotcha, it's okay!" The nunchuck wielder soothed as he slipped behind and grabbed the girl under the arms, lifting her to release the terrible pressure on her wrists.

Donny pulled out a small tool and quickly set to work on picking the chains' locks, swallowing hard at the red liquid encrusted on the cuffs and the sharp smells of blood and metal mixing together. With a quick 'clink' the restraints fell open, baring the brunette's freshly torn wrists to the air and allowing her arms to finally fall from their torturous position.

"Lay her down flat, Mikey." The genius turtle ordered, twisting to dig in his shoulderbag and crouching as his brother tenderly lay the severely wounded girl on the filthy floor.

"Hey, it's okay, it's okay," he cooed gently, petting her grimy hair when a whimper of pain escaped her. "We're the good guys. You remember us, right?"

"That's good Mikey, keep talking." Donny encouraged, pulling the girl's shirt up and hissing at the long slit carved through her abdomen and cutting across her side. "Distract her as much as you can."

" _She's conscious?_!" Mikey hissed in horror. He didn't wait for a response- he didn't receive one, Donatello's attention was on the bloody wound- before turning back to the brunette, wincing as he saw her one uninjured eye cracking open to stare hazily around the room. "It's me, Mikey. Remember? We talked on the phone and you delivered Raph to us like a big grumpy package! It's okay now, Raph and Leo are taking care of the bad guys and Donny'll patch you up in no time!"

The bloodshot and tear heavy hazel gaze swung laboriously around to him and each breath she dragged in was harsher and more ragged than the last When her eyes slid closed and clenched, a whine escaping her throat, the orange clad ninja gently brushed her cheek.

"I know, I know it hurts. I'm sorry. But it won't hurt for long! You'll see!" he assured her, wiping away the trail of blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. "Here, I'll hold your hand. That always made me feel better when I had to be patched up- and believe me, I've been patched up soooooo many times! Well, maybe not as many as Raph- I don't think anyone's been stitched together as much as he has…"

A rough hiss leaked from her throat and her eyes opened to stare hazily at him as a tear dripped down her face- but Mikey smiled brilliantly when he felt her fingers ever so weakly curl around his larger hand.

"That's it! Just focus on me, you're doing great- wait, wait, no, don't go to sleep! Don't go to sleep! You need to stay-"

A soft sigh whispered through her lips as her eyes closed and her body went slack, the fingers delicately curving over his releasing their fragile hold.

"Donny-!"

"I know!" The purple clad ninja gritted his teeth, pulling out a roll of gauze from his bag. "Lift her- I need to reach underneath."

Mikey's arms instantly curve underneath her prone body and lift her about a foot off the ground, allowing Donny to swiftly wrap her abdomen with the gauze, over and under, until the wound was sufficiently bound.

As he turned to stem the red fluid trickling from her wrists and Mikey let the girl lay flat again, the eldest brothers approached and moved to stand guard over the trio on the ground.

Raph's jaw locked and his mouth set in a permanent snarl as his blazing amber gaze took in the damage done to the brunette's battered body. His hands reflexively drew his sai, squeezing the grips as he kept an eye on her and readied himself to defend.

"Donny, we need to get out of here." Leo said, voice low and urgent as his eyes tightened at the blood staining the girl's skin. He drew his swords, slipping into a stance as the shouts outside the room grew louder. " _Now_."

"We can fight 'em off." Raph growled.

"The Purple Dragons may be stupid but they've got numbers on their side, Raph." The blue clad leader sent him a stern look, his tone softening a little as he added, "And she's in bad shape."

"Done!" Donny shoved his bag so it was slung around his back and scooped the girl carefully into his arms, Mikey springing to his feet beside him. "Let's go!"

* * *

They got out as well as could be expected.

The veritable flood of gang members was exhausting and none of the brothers escaped without at least a few new grooves in their shells. But, by keeping Donny in the center of a defensive formation- Raph, Leo, and Mikey carefully and protectively circling the two- their precious cargo sustained no extra injuries.

Utilizing speed was another factor that led to their escape relatively unharmed. There was no need to take out as many Purple Dragons as possible, nor any need to be subtle- just enough power to charge through it all, get to the Battleshell, and hightail it outta there.

Safely inside the thick metal contraption with Leonardo at the wheel, the brunette was laid on the floor, cushioned by an old blanket. Donatello set his bag beside him and kneeled by the unconscious girl, hands already reaching to check her pulse and dive into the bag for supplies while Mikey and Raph watched anxiously.

"I thought you were done, Donny." Leo called back, worry seeping into his tone. "Did something happen?"

"I basically just gave her a patch job." The purple clad ninja answered, eyes never wavering from his patient. "She's got a lot of injuries and we didn't have much time so I focused on the ones that needed more immediate attention."

"She's gonna be okay, though, right?" Mikey asked, holding the brunette's limp hand gently. "I promised her she'd be okay!"

"'Course she's gonna be okay." Raph paused in his impatient pacing to crouch beside his youngest brother and grab his shoulder reassuringly. He glanced to Donny. "Right?"

The genius turtle blew out a sigh but kept his hands steady. "I don't know. She's lost a lot of blood, she's malnourished, heavily injured- not to even mention how the psychological trauma of it all will affect her."

"No Purple Dragons tailing us. Setting course for nearest hospital." Leo reported.

"I don't think that would be a good idea, Leo." Donny said, his voice tightening.

"Why not?" Leo sucked in a sharp breath when Donny held up his hand to the rearview mirror-

"She doesn't have that much time."

It was soaked in blood.

* * *

 **FF: yeah. so. me trying to spare you a cliffhanger didn't really work. oops. (Though, is this really a cliffhanger? You all know I wouldn't kill her off so soon! There's still a story to be told after all!)**


	10. Relief

**FF: H'llo again! So howdja guys like the bonus chapter? A little cliche, I know, but hey. That's how it happens sometimes.**

 **FF: No responses today, wasn't anything to respond to! (not trying to sound whiney or anything I just wanna know what you guys think .)**

 **FF: Anywho, let's continue on with the story, shall we?**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TEN**

"This is a terrible idea!"

"Heard you the first ten times, Fearless." Raph growled irritably, flicking restlessly through TV channels with Mikey flopped beside him on the sofa.

"'Taking her to the lair isn't logical!" Leo insisted, pacing back and forth by the couch. "A hospital is better prepared, better supplied, and- bonus- _it's not supposed to be a secret!_ "

"I told you, I only had time for a patch job!"

The three perked and whipped around to see their purple clad brother exiting the medbay, his hands freshly cleaned and his expression tiredly annoyed.

"Thing about patch jobs is that they're not meant to last for very long." Donny rubbed at his forehead, a grimace on his lips. "Liza's didn't hold up from how large the wound was, and attempting to get her to a hospital would've risked her bleeding out."

"I know, I know…" Leo huffed out a sigh. "But the fact remains that we now have an injured human in our home who has a family and who we _cannot care for here_."

"Hate to break it to you, but we're going to have to." The genius said dryly. "With her condition, Liza's going to need two days to recover before she can even sit up."

"You gotta be _kidding_ me…"

Ignoring Leo's frustrated disbelief, Mikey twisted to kneel on the couch backwards and asked worriedly, "But she's okay, right?"

"Right now, she's sedated. With proper rest and treatment, she should recover. But it'll be a long process, and that's just physically." Donny sighed.

"Not to mention the problem of what we're gonna do about those creeps who took her." Raph asked, amber gaze as sharp as his voice.

"She was targeted to gain information on us and it's just going to get worse from here." Leo folded his arms. "We'll have to patrol her neighborhood, or at the very least her street, every night for a long while until things calm down."

"Maybe we could ask April to give her some help." Mikey suggested.

"Good idea- April's lived with this risk for a while. She'll definitely have some tips." Leo nodded. "Oh, and another thing- don't let Liza figure out how to get to the lair, or the surface."

"What? Why not?" Raph stiffened. After all she'd been through and done for them, surely she deserved to know? If not for her kindness, then simply for her to have a safe place to hide?

"If she actually has the information I'm assuming the Purple Dragons tortured her to get, that makes it even more dangerous for all of us."

"Then how are we going to get her home?" The orange clad ninja blinked in confusion.

"Simple- we sedate her, take her to a safe place, call an ambulance, wait for it to arrive, and then leave while she's being taken care of." Leo explained. "Of course we will have to talk to Liza about what she should say and omit…"

"That can be figured out later." Donny yawned, stretching his arms over his head for a moment. "I'm going to bed. One of you can watch over Liza until I need to check on her."

"I call dibs!" Mikey's hand shot into the air.

* * *

 _4 Hours Later..._

* * *

 _Pain. Pain was everywhere, it was everything. It invaded every bone, every atom in her body until there was no escape, no relief, from the torment._

" _Where are they?!"_

 _Coughing. Blood dribbling down from her mouth and her jaw aching and throbbing from blow after blow. Her throat hurt so much- was it bleeding too?_

" _Tell me!"_

 _A stunning hit to her side, the breath gusting out of her bruised lungs. She cried out as her body arched away from the agony, more pain searing through her at the jerk, at the scream ripped from her burning throat._

"..Li…?"

 _It all hurt so much, why wouldn't this nightmare end? When could she just die and get it over with?_

 _A harsh grip on face digging into her skin and straining her neck upwards. She gasped for breath, tears sliding down her face and stinging the slits in her skin._

" _I'll give one chance. One LAST chance."_

"...Li..a?"

 _She couldn't speak- her throat was on fire. She couldn't open one eye anymore._

 _A knife was in her captor's hand, and he flaunted it. "Tell me. Where. They. Are."_

 _She didn't even have the strength to pull away, only capable of staring in horror at what she desperately prayed wouldn't occur. She tried to say something, anything, but her abused vocal chords couldn't obey._

"...Liza...it...ay!"

" _Fine. Be that way."_

 _A flash of silver, the feel of the blade slicing through her flesh hitting her before the pain-_

* * *

Liza jolted upwards- or at least, she tried to. A splitting pain stabbed through her abdomen, sending her back down and attempting to curl in on the wound, but every movement just made it worse!

It had happened! Oh goodness… She'd been stabbed! No, worse than stabbed- the man had tried to _gut_ her!

Why?! Why her?! What had she done to deserve this?!

It hurt so much, every breath was agony and her sobs just increased the intensity! Was there no escape from this horror?!

Strong hands grabbed her arms and laid her flat on her back, somehow not touching the numerous bruises and scrapes on her limbs. "Liza! Liza, it's okay!"

What?! What!? Who was that?! Why- _why_ did he sound _familiar_? And not in a bad way? She didn't understand- what was going on?!

Confused, terrified sobs burst from her chest, sending spasms of pain up and down her body that served only to further her distress. She tried to beg him not to hurt her, to leave her alone, no more, _she couldn't take it anymore, please_! Tears squeezed out from tightly clenched eyes and her hands clawed at whatever she was laying on in her desperation for escape.

"Liza, calm down, it's okay!" The grip on her released and, in its place, arms circled around her and, as her one uninjured eye struggled to open and see through her tears, a large green blur leaned down and held her oh so gently.

Gentle.

It had been so long since anything had been gentle.

The tenderness of the gesture, the soft feeling of fingers brushing against her skin soothingly pierced through her terror. Liza blinked rapidly, trying to dispel the tears enough so she could see who it was who was giving her such kindness. Her almost convulsive sobs of hysteria eased faintly, enough that she managed to start dragging in more oxygen than she expended, and she caught a glimpse of orange.

Orange? There was no color in her cell, no brightness. She didn't understand.

She tried to croak out a question, plead with whoever it was to let her go, please, just let her go! But all that came out was a strangled cry that burned her throat and made her eyes squeeze shut tightly, her right one sending sparks of pain through her skull.

"Hey, hey, it's okay." The voice soothed warmly, one arm unwrapping faintly so its hand could give a gentle caress on her cheek, so soft her bruises didn't even hurt at the touch. "You're safe now, I promise. I've got you, Mikey's got you…"

Mikey?

C-could it really be...? Dare she hope...?

Forcing her uninjured eye open again, she looked desperately up into heartwrenchingly familiar baby blue eyes surrounded by an orange mask and an encouraging smile.

Another weak cry burst from her, but this time it wasn't from fear or confusion.

She lifted weak and trembling arms, fighting against the pain that simple movement shot through her limbs, and let out another sob when her fingers touched warm thick skin and strong plating instead of human flesh or clothing. She strained towards him, tilting her face up, and thanked the heavens that he was close enough for her to bury her face against his shoulder.

Mikey held her closer, enough that she didn't have to stretch or move or even sit up to be protectively cradled in his arms.

He held her quietly as she wept and shuddered in his arms, his wonderfully gentle, kind, protective arms. She didn't feel safe, she doubted she ever would again, but this was a good start...

* * *

 **FF: Poor Liza :( She needs all the cuddles.**


	11. Exhaustion

**FF: (*screams* I"M LATE AGAIN IM SO SORRY!) Hello peoples! It is time... *drumroll* for ANOTHER CHAPTER! Woo!**

 **Rhodesincolumbus: Awww, thank you! I'm so glad you like it!**

 **Roxygirl: OMGOODNESS HI! So good to see (read?) you again! yeah, poor Liza :( she's not having a good start to this story is she? Oh, right. nope. Can't let that happen again. that-that would be bad 0v0' Awww, thank you! That's so sweet! I hope you like the rewrite! :D**

 **FF: Let's see how everyone reacts to poor Liza's meltdown. they BETTER give her some cuddles- she sorely needs them.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER ELEVEN**

Raph was the first one to barge into the medbay, alarmed by the hoarse cries and sobs that could be heard even in the dojo. The door flew open and slammed against the wall as he rushed in, Leo not four steps behind, but they quickly skidded to a halt as they took in the scene in front of them.

Mikey was practically doubled over the cot where Liza had been placed, his arms holding the girl tenderly as she buried her face into his shoulder and weakly clung to him, rough sobs emanating from her in short gasping bursts.

The orange clad ninja simply murmured soft words of comfort and assurance that she was safe as he turned his head to look at his brothers, bright blue eyes wide with grief and worry, while another hoarse cry rose from Liza at the sudden intrusion. She tried to curl closer to him, her cries turning high pitched and panicky.

Mikey was quick to soothe her fear, turning back and pressing his cheek to her head as he murmured, "It's okay, Liza, it's okay. It's just Leo and Raph. You remember them don't'cha?"

The elder brothers exchanged a tight, concerned look as Mikey nodded at something they couldn't see or hear. "Yeah, They're right over there. Raph an' Leo took out that bad guy and we kept you safe while Donny carried you out- doesn't that make you feel special? You've got your own mutant protection squad!" He cooed encouragingly.

The nunchuck wielder glanced over towards his brothers and made a tiny motion with his head, beckoning them closer.

The red clad turtle stiffened. What could _he_ do? He wasn't good at comforting. Wouldn't he just make it all worse? He glanced over at Leo, who looked just as lost as he did and gave him a startled, wide eyed look.

" _C'mon_." Mikey insisted, freeing a hand to wave them over.

Raph stared at the brunette clinging to his brother, trembling and sobbing, and set his shoulders. He'd never run from a challenge before- why run from the challenge of comforting a weeping girl? He forced himself to walk forwards, careful that his steps were audible so as not to frighten the poor girl any further. He stopped beside Mikey's left, closer to her head to be in her line of sight.

"Raph's right here, Liza. It's okay- see? He's right here." Mikey pulled back enough to allow the brunette to turn towards the red clad ninja.

Raph's fists clenched and his jaw locked as he saw her bruised, bandaged face, tears leaking from a wide, anguished hazel eye, the other swollen shut and purple. He didn't hesitate when her arm weakly reached out for him, enveloping her small shaking hand in his larger one and trying not to touch the bandaged wounds on her wrist.

He didn't say anything, his throat was too tight with anger and guilt, just gave a tiny squeeze to her hand.

This had happened because of him, because she'd helped him.

She was suffering because of him.

Mikey soothingly rubbed at her arm as he gently slipped an arm free and turned to Leo, who'd gathered the courage to softly pad over and stand by her shin. The youngest quietly explained what had happened in hushed whispers, not wanting to upset Liza with the recount. Both brothers frequently sent the girl pained looks amidst the explanation.

Liza sobbed out a word that was mangled by her gasping gulps of air and choked noises, but Raphael understood when her other hand released Mikey and tried to reach out for him as well.

So he took Mikey's place- wrapping the fragile brunette ever so gently in his arms as she clung to him with as much meager strength as she could muster.

* * *

It took ten minutes for her to calm down.

Mikey had fetched Donny the moment Liza's tentative hold on him released and Leo had quickly explained the situation when the genius had rushed in. Donny had listened carefully and refrained from interfering, explaining that interrupting the emotional moment would worsen her fragile state of mind- she needed emotional support more than physical, and she was stable for the moment.

So he, and his two brothers that were not caring for a traumatized girl, quietly worked to assemble the things needed for when Liza's injuries would need another round of treatment and examination.

Eventually, the cries softened, her deep gulps of breath eased, and her tears slowed until they silently seeped down her cheeks. They managed to coax her into drinking some water, but she made no effort to respond to their attempts to talk with her. She fell asleep in Raph's arms, exhausted from the physical and emotional agony.

All the while Raphael cradled the brunette in his arms, struggling with the crushing need to say something. To comfort her. To somehow make it all better. To make her hurt less.

To apologize.

Now, as he ever so carefully let the brunette's delicate body slide from his arms to rest gently on the cot, Donny quietly approached. The red clad ninja looked up as he felt his brother's hand rest on his shoulder in a comforting, firm touch.

"You did really well." Donny praised softly, not wanting to wake up the slumbering girl.

"She still looks like she's in pain." He muttered as he turned his gaze downwards, eyes traveling over the bandages, the tear tracks scarring her cheeks, the bruises mottling her skin.

"She is." The bo wielder sighed. "She's been through a lot- not to mention the fact that she shouldn't have woken up so soon. I'll need to give her a stronger dose next time."

"Shouldn't you give it to her now?" Mikey asked tentatively, glancing back and forth from his brothers to the brunette.

"I would, but I don't want to stress her system too much. I'll check on her when she wakes up and see if she needs it." He shrugged. "For now, just let her rest."

"Why don't we go try and find some things for her when she wakes up?" Leo suggested, motioning towards the door. "To distract her."

"Yeah, to cheer her up!" Mikey was enthusiastic almost immediately, relieved at the chance to ease some of the brunette's suffering. He grabbed the blue clad leader's arm and hurriedly dragged him from the room, saying excitedly, "C'mon, and help me pick out some comic books! Do you think she'll like the Silver Sentry? OH! What about a puzzle or-"

Donny looked back to Raph, still staring at Liza's sleeping, yet pained face. "...What's wrong?"

"Nothing." The sai wielder brushed past him roughly, grabbing a nearby chair and shoving it beside the cot. He sat down and folded his arms, amber gaze refusing to move from the brunette. "I'll take next watch."

"Are you sure? 'Cause I-"

"Shut up, Don, she's sleeping. You'll wake her up." Raph growled shortly.

Donny wrinkled his snout in indignation, but turned and stalked from the room. "Well, _fine_ then." He muttered sourly under his breath. "I was just trying to help…"

* * *

 **FF: omgoodness Raph just talk about your problems like a rational being! You're worrying your bros!**


	12. The

**FF: So I was looking back at my original story of this and...just...thanks. Thank you so much to all the people who reviewed on it, who were so encouraging and kind. Looking back now, I know my writing wasn't the best and I've improved vastly (at least I hope so) but everyone was so kind and sweet despite my lack of skill back then. Just wanted to say thank you for that.**

 **Rhodesincolumbus: Not everything, just things that are t _echnically_ his fault. Don't worry, I'm sure someone'll set him straight! ...hopefully.**

 **Roxygirl: Aww, you're too sweet! That just so kind of you to say- I'm starting to blush and everything! *hides face in hands* Poor Raph, he really does need to talk to someone. *gives you a hug as you run past* Thanks and good luck! (and it's okay, I misspell my own name so many times)**

 **FF: You guys are the best. Seriously. Now then- let's see how poor Liza is doing, and if Raph is gonna deal with his guilt better than just bein' moody all the time. (Is that likely? No.)**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWELVE**

The second time Liza awoke was just as bad as the first- filled with tears and pain and terror as she spasmed and cried out, panicking. She wouldn't calm even with Mikey and Leo offering soft, reassuring words until Raph, having left for a brief trip to the bathroom, burst into the room, flinging out weak arms towards him in desperation.

From the mangled words sobbed out as the traumatized brunette clung to him, it was all too easy for her to believe she was trapped back at the cell she'd been tortured in, and that her rescue was just a desperation-induced dream.

It took fifteen minutes of constant reassurance and gently stroking her arms and back for her haunted eyes to finally slide closed, but she didn't release the red clad ninja. Even asleep, her hands curled around him with fragile strength and her grip weakly tightened when he started to release her.

While carefully checking over and retreating her wounds, Donatello had explained that, due to the trauma she'd endured, it wasn't surprising she'd latched onto one of her rescuers so strongly (and quickly) for comfort and protection. When Raph questioned why _he_ would be the one she'd attached herself to, Mikey voicing his skepticism as well (feeling a little slighted she hadn't glommed onto him), Donny had simply answered, "She knows you best."

But wondering about her choice of a companion was the least of the brothers' worries.

Liza's wrists were infected.

The brunette's wrists were red and swollen, and her body temperature, already too high, was rising steadily into a severe fever.

Donatello was doing all he could to help- washing the wounds out thoroughly, applying wet bandages to the painful injuries, keeping them clean and free of discharge. He'd managed to get her to swallow some ibuprofen when she'd calmed a little during that second awakening, Raphael lowly whispering encouragements and rubbing her back as she forced the medicine down her tear tightened throat.

But they had to wait for his efforts to make any difference, so the next day was spent taking turns watching over the slumbering brunette. Raph and Donny were both on high alert throughout it all, hardly able to relax or catch some greatly needed sleep- they were the ones that Liza would require if she woke up again.

And require them she did.

The third time she woke up, late in the evening of the second day, was still teary and agonizing as Liza fought through fever and trauma to accept that she was indeed safe, that her torment was over. Assisted by Leo and Donny's gentle encouragement, Mikey's soothing chatter and well timed humor, and Raph's physical support, the brunette's breathing calmed to an almost normal rhythm and her mind eased just enough to get her thoughts out of the nightmarish rut they'd been stuck in.

Blinking back tears of pain, she managed to focus enough to listen as Donny gently explained what had happened, what her injuries were, what he'd treated her with, and how long it would take for her to recover.

She'd sobbed again, tears of fear and pain and self-pity, but in between her sobs she'd choked out emotional 'thank you's, reaching out and touching the arms or hands of the brothers in a weak show of gratitude.

Exhausted from pain and fever, the brunette held Raph's hand tight as Donny gave her some medicine and a sedative, and fell asleep still whispering 'thank you'.

A few minutes after she'd succumbed to the anesthetic, tears still wet on her cheeks, Raph had gently placed her back on the cot and left the room without a word.

* * *

 _One Hour Later..._

* * *

"He's been in there for over an hour…" Leo sent a worried glance at the paper doors separating him from his immediate younger brother, arms crossed and foot tapping out a restless beat.

"Maybe you could talk to him?" Mikey suggested. He was flopped on the couch, flicking through TV channels absently while waiting for his shift on guard duty.

"Right. That would go well." Leo snorted. "He snapped at Donny for asking if he was okay yesterday and's been brooding ever since- what's he gonna do when _I_ ask what's up?"

"Then I'll go!" The youngest turned off the TV and popped to his feet in a quick motion, stretching his arms out a little.

"You sure?" Leo's worried gaze switched to Mikey.

"Yeah, " He smiled and offered a quick wink. "I'm the fastest- if he swings at me, I'll just run away!"

The blue clad turtle laughed and shook his head. "Scream if you need me to come rescue you."

"Will do, big bro!" Mikey gave a thumbs up as he trotted towards the dojo doors.

He didn't knock; he simply opened the door and slipped inside as silently as possible. He slid the door shut, mentally congratulating himself on hardly making a sound.

"What do _you_ want?"

Oh. Oops.

"I just wanna see how you're doin'!" Mikey turned around with a grin, the kind he normally reserved for when he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"I'm _fine_." Raphael growled, slamming a fist into the punching bag and following it up with two powerful strikes via the other hand.

"Okay, I was just wonderin' what with you being used as a safety blanket for Liza." Mikey glanced around, beginning to slowly wander around the dojo. "Hard to see her hurting up close, y'know?"

"You can go now." Raph gritted his teeth, adding a sharp kick amongst his punches.

"Oh, but I-"

"-got your answer, so you can _leave_ now." The older turtle snapped angrily, sending a furious glare to his brother.

Mikey 'eep'ed quietly and backed towards the door, hands held up in defense. "Okay, right. Good talk, I'll just-" he darted through the door the moment Raph took a step in his direction "-seeyoulaterbye!"

Raphael glared after the orange clad ninja for a moment, making sure he was gone, before turning back to the punching bag.

" _Hard to see her hurting up close, y'know?"_

His jaw locked and he slammed a fist too hard, too fast, into the thick material. His hiss of pain turned into a snarl as he repeated the action with his other hand, alternating between hands over and over, ignoring the bruises on his knuckles.

Her sobs and screams were burned into his mind, the images of the shaking and trembling of her body as she tried to curl in on herself, the pained look on her face even in sleep, the rawness of her voice and that one eye that still wouldn't open...

She'd been so kind all those days ago, so timid and gentle as she tried to help him home. Now that he thought about it, it had been incredibly selfless of her- dropping everything to help someone she barely knew, someone who was a mutant and who had scared her so badly that first night.

And now she was paying the price for her kindness. She was suffering, both mentally and physically. She would have lasting scars from this no matter what steps were taken to help her.

It was his fault.

He'd tried to argue that it wasn't his fault for others' actions, especially creeps like the Purple Dragons, but it had been his presence that started this. It had been him being there that led to this.

He and his brothers had all dealt with the guilt when April had gotten mixed up in their insane life. In a way, they were almost used to things like this happening. That didn't lessen the guilt though. And April had never suffered what Liza had gone through- they'd been so careful in protecting her, so determined to help her defend herself...

But not Liza. They'd forgotten her.

He'd forgotten her.

* * *

 **FF: Raph. TELL. SOMEONE. Stop trying to deal with this yourself, dude!**


	13. Road

**FF: Hello guys/girls! I'm on time for once! Woo! 8D**

 **QueenDove: hello again and welcome back! :) I would, but he won't let me, the grump. maybe I can convince Mikey to tackle hug him or something... And of course I send you a hug!**

 **Rhodesincolumbus: I know right? He just won't listen to us though *disapproving sigh***

 **Roxygirl: Oh no! I'm so sorry! *hugs* Well she's missing out on a wonderfully kind person! Aw, thanks! Wow, I havne't visited that story in a while either. I think I was planning on oneshots for that one, but started focusing on this instead. oops. Maybe I'll go back to it someday. Sure- flowers it is! (Liza: *blinks* what's this?) Flowers for you! Roses from Roxygirl! (Liza: *gasps* OH, they're beautiful! thank you so much, Roxygirl! *smiles widely and gently hugs bouquet to herself* I absolutely adore it!)**

 **FF: NEXT, ON 'HELLO AND GOODBYE'- will Raph's moping finally be dealt with? (doubtful) Will Liza recover? (of course!) Will you guys like it? (hopefully!) Enjoy! 8D**

* * *

 **CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

"Okay, are you sure you're okay with this? I don't want to scare you." Donny sent a concerned glance at the brunette leaning heavily on Raph, who was halfway perched on the cot with an arm slung around the girl's shoulder and one hand gripping hers. The genius' hands were hovering above the bandages covering the large slash across her midsection, her shirt hiked up but not removed- it would be faintly annoying to deal with, but he didn't want to push the poor girl too far.

Her fever had broken that morning, and her wrists were thankfully showing signs of improvement, but everything had still left her incredibly weak. When she'd woken up this time, her panic and terror had lasted only five minutes, long enough for her to get her bearings again and calm herself down despite Raph catching up on some sleep elsewhere. She'd accepted the medication and painkillers offered, giving a weak smile of gratitude as Donny helped her sit up enough to swallow the medicine, but was significantly more hesitant when the purple clad ninja explained he needed to check on her stomach injury- she'd agreed but pleaded in her still healing voice for Raph to be there when the examination would be done.

Liza took in a careful breath and nodded, resting a bit more of her weight against Raph and squeezing his hand a little for courage. "I'm fine…" She whispered, relaxing a little when he squeezed back.

She hadn't spoken at a normal volume yet, either because her throat was still recovering or because she was frightened being too loud would shatter the illusion of safety. But that didn't explain how she'd flinch when someone would look at her or speak in response to her words, or shiver at their eyes meeting hers.

It was like she was afraid to be noticed.

"If it gets too much, just look away and focus on breathing, okay? I can get you a sedative if you need it, too." Donny assured her gently, smiling softly at her attempt to be brave.

He waited for her nod before unwrapping the gauze protecting her worst injury. Leo was assisting, carefully lifting the girl's body a few inches into the air so that Donny could unwrap the bandages unhindered.

"How're you doing, Liza?" Donny asked, just beginning to reach the last few strips concealing the wound.

"She's nodding." Raph informed him, rough voice lowered to a gruff murmur.

"Okay. Last bit. I'm going to need to touch a little, but I won't pull on it. If it hurts, let me know and I'll stop. Okay?" The purple clad ninja's dark brown eyes flicked over to the brunette, who gave a whispered, "yes."

"Here we go. Leo, you can set her down now."

As the leader obliged, gently resting Liza's battered form on the cot again, Donny carefully removed the last strip of gauze and delicately examined the wound. The moment his fingers brushed lightly against her pale skin, she flinched away with a sharp keen and his hand shot back as she tried to curl into Raph's arms. He shifted, surprised at the sudden movement, but managed to wrap his arm around her again and grip her hand tighter.

"Did I hurt you?" Donny asked worriedly.

She shook her head, biting her lip and squeezing her eyes shut.

"Were you startled?"

She hesitated before giving a quick nod, cautiously uncurling at a gentle nudge from her guardian and cracking open her eyes to cautiously peer down at her abdomen. She sucked in a breath, held it, and forced it out carefully slow, eyes locking onto the long, angry red line that cut across her flesh and was held in place by tiny black stitches.

"Liza?"

Her head tilted towards Raph as he spoke, but her eyes stayed glued to the wound. Her lips trembled and her eyes began to well up with tears, but she didn't look away.

"You okay?" The red clad turtle's eyes narrowed, and his arm squeezed her just a fraction of a bit closer.

She nodded faintly. The tears pooled but didn't fall.

"I'm going to examine your injury now, Liza." Donny warned her. "Just tell me if it hurts and I'll stop."

Another nod.

He was as gentle as he could be, making the examination thorough but as quick as possible. He didn't miss the way her body shuddered at his touch, or the hissed inhale when his fingers brushed against her skin. He wondered if it was because it hurt, (she'd been surprisingly resistant to complaining, so he doubted she'd say if it _was_ painful,) or if it was simply because she was frightened of the touch itself.

That hurt a little bit.

"No infection and the healing process is off to a good start. Just need to keep it clean and make sure you don't pull on it- you should be fine." Donny reported, offering the brunette a reassuring smile as Leo lifted her and he wrapped fresh bandages around the wound.

She nodded, watching as he finished and pulled her tattered shirt back down, Leo setting her down gently.

He frowned. He needed to call April and ask for her to bring some clothes for Liza- he hadn't tried to take off the filthy clothes because he didn't want to make the poor girl even more frightened, substituting with a wash cloth to try and clean the worst of the grime from her clothes and skin as she slept, but she needed a shower and a fresh outfit to wear.

"I'll be back, I need to call April." He said tiredly, rubbing at his forehead. He glanced at Leo and lightly nodded at the door as he turned to leave.

The leader nodded and, after a quick look to Raph, followed the genius turtle out of the room. He shut the door behind him and turned to his brother. "What's up?"

"Liza's doing okay for now, but we need to restock on sedatives and gauze. And Liza needs some clean clothes." Donny leaned against the wall as he pulled out his shellcell. "Anything else you think we need?"

"I think you've got everything." Leo shrugged after a moment of consideration, but turned a concerned look on his brother. "Are you okay?"

"Just stressed. Raph's been in a mood ever since we rescued Liza, Mikey's starting to make a pile of stuff in the medbay to show Liza when she can wake up without crying, Liza's in an incredibly fragile state of mind…" He sighed, shaking his head.

Leo frowned sympathetically and lay a hand on his brother's shoulder encouragingly. "Hey, just a little longer and then Liza can go to the hospital and everything will go back to normal."

Donny snorted. "Sure about that? She seems pretty attached to Raph, and it's not like the Purple Dragons will just give up."

"Eh, we'll figure it out." He waved a hand and tried to ignore the faint feeling of uneasiness that line of thought brought up.

* * *

"Hey, it's okay. You're gonna be fine." Raph said lowly, unnerved but the brunette's silence and nudging her a little.

Liza nodded mutely, staring at her covered abdomen with still tear-filled eyes. She hadn't cried yet, hadn't let the tears fall, but the look on her face was strange- a mixture of blankness and deep thought.

"Hey," He jostled her shoulder a little, careful not to let it hurt her. "Are you okay?"

Her head tilted faintly but her expression didn't change. "...I don't know…." She whispered. "...it hurts…"

He swallowed thickly, guilt pricking at him. "I know."

"...did I do something wrong?"

" _What_?" The red clad ninja barely held back from jolting in shock, but he still stared at her incredulously, mouth open in astonishment.

Liza blinked, the action finally dislodging the tears pooling in her eyes as she continued to stare at her covered injury. "Is that why this happened?" She whispered, her voice breaking. "...I did something wrong?"

"No!" Raph shook his head furiously, his voice coming out harsher than intended. "You didn't do _anything_ wrong! This was _not_ your fault!"

The brunette cowered under his vehemence, eyes wide (as wide as her injured one could get) and shiny with tears. Her lips trembled as she asked brokenly, "...then why did this happen to me?"

He stared at her helplessly- appalled amber gaze flinching when anguished hazel looked up.

"B-because…" He hesitated, mind scrambling for words he didn't want to say. "...because of me."

The sheer confusion on her face just made it worse, made the guilt stab deeper, and he clenched his jaw and looked to the ceiling with a faint stressed noise. He huffed out a breath and glared at the floor, unable to look her in the eyes.

"It was my fault. I was in your yard that night and you helped me and...and they hurt you to try and get to me. To my family." He bit out, anger and frustration and guilt flaring up in his chest. "If I had never been there- if I hadn't-...you'd never have been mixed up in this if it weren't for me."

He lowered his head as his rage was drowned in the wave of regret and guilt. "I just-...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry for all this…"

Raph looked up when he felt Liza's fragile hand gently squeeze his.

She was watching him with tear-shiny, pained hazel eyes, and, at his glance, she leaned as much as she could and pressed her forehead against his cheek. It was a startling gesture, one he couldn't recall ever receiving, but the effort the small movement had taken and the silent earnesty of it all made it mean more than he expected. "I don't blame you…" She whispered, and her voice was achingly sincere, painfully soft. "You didn't hurt me. You _saved_ me from- f-from that _horrible_ place…"

The frothing boil of regret and guilt eased a little, but the anger simmered at the mention of her captivity. "But if it weren't for me..." He trailed off and Liza slumped, too tired to hold her head up any longer, and settled her head on his shoulder so she could squeeze his hand again.

"If it weren't for you," she panted softly, "I wouldn't be alive...you saved my life... _thank you_ for that..."

He curled his fingers around hers, staring at how small, how fragile, how delicate her were compared to his. "But..." he mumbled, unwilling to entirely let go of the guilt just yet.

"It's okay..." She whispered, closing her eyes.

There were a million things that sentence could have meant, but there was something in her voice that made it feel like she knew. That she understood whatever ambiguous feelings and words he'd been unable to say.

His heart lightened a little.

* * *

 **FF: Aww, yay! Good for you Raph! You too, Liza! Now get some sleep already, you're exhausted.**


	14. To Recovery

**FF: *announcer voice* THE TIME HAS COME FOR ANOTHER CHAPTER**

 **Rhodesincolumbus: Thank you! I'm so glad you like it! Don't worry- plenty more chapters to come!**

 **Queen Dove: :) Nah, Liza's too sweet to blame him. Don't worry, when Liza fell asleep Leo or Mikey coaxed him into going and getting some sleep- he'll be just fine! *gasps at all the sweets* They're FANTASTIC, thank you! *hugs***

 **Lydja-chan: I literally teared up a little reading your review. Thank you so much! you are a very good analyzer- that's all correct about Liza! Thank you, your encouragement helps so very much! Fear not, I will continue to update until the story has been completed!**

 **Roxygirl: Sort of. But who is happier- she who dreams, or she who faces reality? (i butchered a quote there) "SHE"? Who is this "SHE" you mention? I haven't a clue who might appear in, oh, around the twenty fourth-ish chapter~...**

 **FF: (YOU GUYS ARE ALL FANTASTIC AND I LOVE YOU) Let's see how Liza deals with seeing another human for the first time since captivity!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

April showed up the next day with a worried expression and a backpack.

"I've got three sets of clothes in here, and some hygiene stuff- a hairbrush and the like." She explained, shouldering the straps as she followed Leo and Donny into the lair. "The sedatives should arrive in a few days, and I'll get the gauze tomorrow."

"Thanks April. We'll pay you back I promise." Leo nodded thankfully, giving her a grateful smile.

"I take dishes for the next two weeks or the vacuuming for the next month." The redhead informed, laughing when Donny's hand shot up with a quick, "Not it!"

He stared right back at Leo's betrayed glare. "Hey, I've been doing all the medical care for Liza! That's a full time job!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Leo grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"So, where is the poor girl?" April asked, bright green eyes dimming in sympathy as she glanced around the lair. Leo had greeted her mid-way to the lair and explained the situation as they walked- Donny had met them by the entrance, staying close in case Liza needed him again.

"Medbay. Raph's with her." Donny explained, taking the lead and walking over to the door.

"I would've thought Mikey would've jumped at the chance to talk to someone new- situation aside."

"She's latched onto Raph." He shrugged at April's disbelieving stare. "Hey- it's not uncommon for trauma patients to have that one person they trust. Besides, he's more familiar to her than the rest of us."

"Fair point- I'm just wondering what _he_ thinks of all this." She said, lowering her voice as Donny pushed open the door and held it open for the other two to enter. "Oh…"

April's voice went soft when her eyes landed on the bandaged girl who was laying flat on her back with one hand gently holding onto Raph's as he sat beside the cot on a chair, reading a book on his lap. Her clothes were ragged and filthy, her wrists, head, legs, and stomach wrapped in gauze, and one eye was covered with a warm compress. What little skin was exposed was littered with large bruises in vary shades of purple or healing yellow or a mixture of both.

Her uncovered eye drifted open, sleepy and lulled by Raph gently rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand as he read. It snapped wide open the second it locked onto April though, fear and horror chasing away the tiredness as her hand abruptly clutched at Raph's.

He stiffened and moved to stand up, muscles tense and ready for a fight, but relaxed when he saw recognized the visitors. "Hey April." He greeted as he sat back down, closing his book.

"Hey Raph." April smiled gently, taking a slow step forward. Liza watched, silent. "How're you doing?"

A halfhearted smirk twitched his lips up. "Been better."

"You look exhausted, haven't you been getting any sleep?" She scolded lightly, hands finding her hips in the universal 'disappointed parent' stance.

The smirk widened a little and he leaned back in his chair. "Enough."

She sighed. "I suppose that's the best I'm going to get out of you, huh?"

"Yup."

"Well I hope you've been getting some sleep, Liza." April turned to the brunette, who tensed under her gaze and gave her a wide-eyed look. "It's okay, Donny told me about you. And I brought you some things."

She held up the backpack with a comforting smile that faltered when Liza eyed the bag with more fear and suspicion than curiosity. "It's okay, I just brought you some clean clothes and supplies, is all. I want to help."

"She's a friend, Liza." Raph said, giving Liza a glance as he set the book on the cot beside her. "We've been through a lot together."

The brunette relaxed at Raph's vouching for the redhead, and her gaze lost some of the suspicion, replacing it with a hint of longing. She opened her mouth, but simply sighed and closed it again.

"Her voice is still healing." Donny explained as he walked in, moving to stand beside Liza and gently remove the compress from her eye. "Sometimes it takes more energy than its worth to talk."

"That's not fun." April gave her a sympathetic look, but Liza looked away.

"Well, your eye seems to be getting a bit better, at least." Donny hummed, gently turning her head a little and examining the still bruised skin. "Me and April'll take over, Raph. Go get some rest."

"Sure." Raph got up, pausing when Liza's grip tightened. He turned to see her staring at him, a frightened look tightening her face despite remaining motionless. He squeezed her hand. "It'll be okay, Liza. Donny's gonna be right there, okay?"

She blinked and her fingers hesitantly released their tight grip on him.

He gave another squeeze before letting go completely, stretching as he headed out of the room.

Liza watched him go.

"So, let's have some proper introductions." April smiled and held out a hand to Liza. "Nice to meet you Liza, I'm April."

The brunette stared at her hand, gaze flicking up to April's face for a split second, and back down. After a moment, her arm lifted and her hand tentatively grabbed April's.

April smiled gently at the younger girl, careful not to let their handshake move her injured wrists too much. "I know you've been through a lot, and I'm going to try and help you through it, okay? First order of business is getting you a shower and into some fresh clothes."

One large hazel eye watched her, anxiety and fear flickering to life as she slid her hand free and coiled it to her chest distrustfully.

"Liza," Donny chided softly. "You're clothes are filthy and ripped, and a washcloth can only help so much. That's not good for your injuries or health- I'm amazed your haven't gotten infections from the grime yet!"

Liza glanced down, silent, then eyed April and gave Donny a quick look.

Interpreting the silent question correctly, Donny explained, "I figured you'd rather have a female helping with the clothing issue. I'm just here to check on your injuries as we go- I'll look away for the important parts, don't worry!" He hastily added, holding his hands up in defense when a slight panicked look entered her eye.

The brunette stared at the redhead fearfully.

"I'll be careful, I promise, Liza." April assured her firmly.

She bit her lip, gently so as not to irritate the cut there, then sucked in a breath and nodded, attempting to steel her expression. It got about as far as plywood, but the effort was appreciated.

April moved forwards and sat in the recently vacated chair. "Hey," She murmured, reaching out and gently touching the girl's hand.

Liza flinched violently, jerking away and whipping her head around to stare in startled terror at the redhead. Her panicked jump had obviously jarred her injuries, resulting in the arm opposite to April wrapping around her bandaged abdomen and escalating her breathing to harsh pants as Donny hurriedly rushed to her side.

"Hey, _easy_ , Liza, easy..." He soothed, squeezing her shoulder comfortingly while his free hand hovered over her abdomen to prevent her from attempting to get up.

"No, no, it's okay, it's okay!" April hastily held up her hands in innocence, startled and pained at the violent and unexpected reaction. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. I should've warned you."

The brunette curled her arm close to her chest, faint trembles running through her body as she continued to stare, her expression the personification of a hurt 'why would you do that?' Donny spared a hand from his careful check of her injuries to gently lay it on her head in a comforting gesture.

"I'm sorry," April repeated gently, letting her hands go to her lap in a slow movement so as not to scare the younger girl. "I just wanted to say thank you."

Liza blinked, confusion starting to replace the fear. Then, soft and utterly confused, "...why?"

The sound of her voice, rough and echoing in pain, made April's smile sadden a little, but she pressed on. "Because from what I've heard, you saved Raph's life the night you met."

Donny glanced up at April, mouthing 'you're telling her _now_?' in surprise.

Liza's eyes narrowed in confusion and her mouth worked faintly as she gave a tiny shake of her head. "What? No, I...no, I just- I just helped…"

April smiled gently. "No, really. If it hadn't been for you, he would've bled out."

"It's true Liza." Donny confirmed as her gaze slid to him. "Your care saved his life."

Liza's gaze simply _melted_ , and she had to take a few moments, staring at nothing in particular with a baffled yet serious expression, before she managed to whisper, "...I just...I just did what I could…"

"And that saved his life." April said warmly.

Liza had to take a moment to breath, a choked noise slipping from her throat. She sucked in air in an almost-sob and the sound appeared again, but it was the faint, disbelieving smile at the corner of her mouth that clued the two in that she was laughing.

"And here I was..." Liza rasped, hazel eyes glittering with unshed tears that she tried to blink back. "wondering how I could repay you..."

"You don't owe us anything, Liza." Donny told her gently, patting her shoulder. "This is the least we could do."

"Now let's get you freshened up, yeah? I'm sure a shower will feel great right about now." April encouraged, picking up the backpack and offering the brunette a comforting smile.

Liza's eyes lost the disbelieving delight and gained fear and anxiety, but longing flickered there as well. "...okay..."

* * *

 **FF: Eh. Not particularly pleased with this chapter, but oh well. I hope I'm writing April okay, i can't get a good feel for her character :(**


	15. Is Very

**FF: Helloooo again! Yeesh, I nearly didn't finish revising this one in time 0A0**

 **Queen Dove: yeah :( She's just trying to help but Liza's so scared... That's a good quote and point- it definitely fits. hopefully Liza won't let fear be a foe! Aww, thank you! Don't worry, she's being treated very gently!**

 **FF: Who's ready to see the next bit of Liza's recovery? She's getting better veeeeeerrrryyyy slooooowwwwllllyyy...**

* * *

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The process was long and fraught with tension.

Liza remained mostly silent, the only noises she made were soft keens and whines, mostly of fear or panic or anxiety. She did her best to stay compliant, using what little strength remained in her battered body to help them drag/limp with her along to the bathroom, but there were some things that nearly pushed her into a panic attack.

One of the issues was when she had to remove her clothing. She refused to take anything off until a towel was offered for cover and then, the second even a bit of skin was exposed, she frantically wrapped the towel about the vulnerable area.

She flinched away from April when the redhead attempted to help, shuddering at her touch and trying to curl in on herself to the point where April and Donny just turned their backs and waited for her to wriggle out of the filthy clothes herself.

There were several moments of worry when Liza made a quiet noise of pain or stress, and one instance where she yelped and both whipped around in frantic concern to help only to jerk back around at Liza's shocked and hoarse shriek of embarrassment.

Trying to keep this as comfortable and least stressful as possible, (she eyed them fearfully as if they would try to coerce her into removing the towel to bathe,) Donny simply scooped her up and placed her, towel and all, into the tub after a very quick once-over check on her injuries, (he couldn't look her in the eye after the 'turning around incident'.)

April carefully used the showerhead to soak the shivering brunette in hot water, exchanging relieved smiles with Donny when the warm liquid soothed and relaxed the girl. It was risky to get her injuries wet at this stage, but the pros outweighed the cons and Donny was right there in case something went wrong.

Lulled by the comforting heat, Liza allowed April to assist her in using washcloths to clean off the grime from her arms and, much more reluctantly, her back. She tensed when the redhead helped wash her hair, clutching Donny's hand tight enough her knuckles turned white with the strain.

He squeezed back gently and practiced breathing exercises with her, hating how frightened and bedraggled she looked, but it helped her numb her mind and slow her frantic heartbeat brought on by the unfamiliar fingers running over her scalp.

Once she was all clean and rinsed off, already exhausted at that point, April spread a towel out on the floor and Donny lifted Liza out of the tub and onto the new towel, her own utterly soaked. Another towel was gently spread over the girl and Liza warily allowed April to assist in drying off, turning her head away when Donny had to help dry her stomach injury. They let her wriggle into the fresh clothes by herself.

The whole process took almost two hours and resulted in an exhausted and aching but clean and highly relieved brunette. When Donny scooped her up to carry her out, April staying behind a moment to throw the dirty towels into the laundry and the damaged clothes away, Liza simply slumped against him.

"Thanks…" she whispered, letting her head rest against his chest.

"No problem, Liza." He smiled down at her and gently rubbed his thumb over her arm. "You did really well. Do you feel any better?"

She nodded mutely, eyes sliding closed with a soft sigh.

She was so tired. Her stomach throbbed and everything ached so badly, even her head, but she felt so much better knowing the grime of her imprisonment had been washed away with kind and gentle hands.

She smiled faintly, comforted by the phrasing of her thoughts.

"Hey Liza!"

She opened her eyes to find herself in the medbay, about to be settled upon her cot with Mikey poking his head in through the door with a bright smile. She felt her lips curving upwards automatically at the sight of him.

He trotted into the room, bearing a tray of soup and crackers with a glass of water accompanying them. "You hungry? I brought breakfast! Or is it lunch now?"

"It's almost noon," April commented, walking into the room with her bag slung over her shoulder. "I'd say it's lunch."

"Then behold, Liza- your lunch!" He set the tray down on her lap with a flourish and a playful bow, narrowly avoiding smacking Donny. "I made it myself!"

"Thanks, Mikey…" She smiled, easing back against the pillow Donny nudged behind her to help her sit up whilst giving a scolding look at his brother. It was still hard to speak, but Mikey deserved the effort it took. "It looks delicious..."

He practically beamed at the praise, and she felt her chest lighten a little.

"After lunch I'll help you brush your hair, okay Liza?" April looked to the brunette with a warm smile. "We'll take care of all those snarls in no time."

Liza's gaze fell to her soup and her smile disappeared completely. She nodded mutely, managing a soft, "Thanks…"

April blinked, glancing to the brothers in surprised confusion. They exchanged baffled looks and a faint shrug from Mikey at Liza's abrupt mood swing, utterly lost as to what was wrong.

"Actually, can I do it?"

The brunette looked up, staring in surprise at the orange clad ninja.

He grinned, hands on his hips. "What? Is it so weird I wanna spend time with you when you're actually awake?"

"I've got no problem with it." April added quickly. Maybe Mikey could work out what was wrong and lift her spirits- he had wonderful knack for it.

Liza stared at the two of them, wary of April's hasty acceptance. She slowly nodded.

"Yes!" Mikey fist pumped excitedly.

"I guess that settles it." Donny shrugged. "I'm off to make some coffee. Want any, April?"

"That sounds _amazing_ right now." She grinned and followed him out the door, both offering quick waves over their shoulders.

Mikey waved back, then turned to look at Liza, who was tentatively sipping at her first spoonful of soup. He trotted over to a cabinet Donny had insisted he put all the things he wanted to show Liza in, then pulled up a chair and plopped into it beside her, thumping the comic issues and books on his lap.

She looked up at the noise, (jolted, more like,) and peered at the objects, a soft curiosity flickering in her eyes.

"How's the soup?" he asked.

Liza nodded, quickly taking another spoonful as if she wasn't allowed to focus on anything but the broth. "It's good." She whispered.

"You okay?"

Liza paused, thinking. Then she nodded again and closed her eyes. "Tired."

Mikey hummed, resting his elbow on the cot and his chin in his hand. "You got kinda... _subdued_. You sure everything's okay?"

She was silent a moment, sipping the broth quietly. Her eyes went half lidded and stared down at the bowl on her lap as she bit her lip.

"...they grabbed my hair a lot." She whispered, her voice getting increasingly shaky. "Yanked my head back….threatened t-...to slit my _throat-_ "

"Hey, hey, Liza, it's okay!" Mikey moved his arm to gently wrap around her shoulders, bonking his head against her cheek. "That's not gonna happen again, I promise! You're totally safe and no one's gonna hurt you! Ninja's honor!"

She swallowed hard and leaned against him, careful to balance the tray in her lap so nothing would spill. "Thank you…" Her whisper was less ragged than before, which Mikey counted as a success.

"No problem, Liza." he pulled back to smile at her encouragingly. "Here, let's get your mind off those jerks- have you ever heard of Silver Sentry?" He asked, holding up a comic book enticingly.

* * *

"What's on your mind?" Donny asked, leaning back against the counter as he sipped at his coffee.

April stared speculatively into her coffee. "Liza."

"Anything in particular?"

"Just wondering what I said to put her off." April grimaced, settling beside him. "She just...shut down."

"That was abrupt." He conceded, tilting his head. "But...maybe not unexpected."

April arched an eyebrow.

"No offense, but the people who hurt her were humans. And we, my brothers and I who rescued her, are not. Given that, and her previous reactions to you, maybe she's associating 'danger' with humans now." He hurriedly turned to April and added, "Nothing personal against you, I'm sure!"

She smiled. "None taken, Donny." She sighed and swirled the warm liquid in the cup absently. "Though if that's true, it'll be even harder for her to go back home. She'll be surrounded then."

"Yeah..." He frowned. "At least she'll have her parents. And it's not like we'll just abandon her."

"Oh no, of course not. And I'll stop by to give her some tips and things." April nodded. "She's been through a lot...wish I could help more."

"You and me both." He sighed, clinking their cups together and leaning against each other.

* * *

 **FF: One more chapter of Liza's stay with the guys and then the story moves on!**


	16. Long

**FF: Hallo! I'm updating early as I will not be able update tomorrow! Enjoy the early chapter~!**

 **Rhodesincolumbus: Yep, bit by bit she's getting there! Hmmm, that's a good question. Methinks her hair is going to be pretty long for a long while...**

 **Roxygirl: There there *pats you comfortingly* She'll be okay. Much the same as before- VERY. ANGRY. (i'm so glad you liked that story!) Thank you~!**

 **FF: now then, the final bit of Liza's time with the guys. This is the first bit of the goodbye!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

"Hey guys." Mikey trotted out of the medbay some time later with the lunch tray in his hand, closing the door behind him, and paused mid-way to the kitchen when he saw the trio clustered around the couch. He set aside the tray on the back of the couch and curiously joined the group. "What's up?"

Leo turned from his conversation with April. "How's Liza?"

"Ah, she's asleep- finished her soup but passed out around issue three of Silver Sentry. Today took a lot outta her." He gestured to the empty bowl and few remaining crackers.

"Y'sure it wasn't your comics boring her to sleep?" Raph jabbed lightly, leaning his shell against the couch's back and stretching his arms over his head stiffly, having woken only recently from a nap.

"Hey! Don't diss the comics, bro! She was _super_ interested!" Mikey crossed his arms and pouted defiantly as Donny padded over with a fresh coffee in hand.

"Interested in what?" He asked, glancing around the group curiously.

"Comics." Raph rolled his eyes.

"Dude. I just said 'don't diss the comics'." Mikey squinted disapprovingly.

"Here we go…" Donny muttered into his coffee cup, rolling his own eyes.

"Guys, focus." Leo gave them all exasperated looks.

"On what? I just got here!"

The blue clad leader sighed. "Donny, how much longer does Liza need until she can be taken back to the surface?"

"Well, over the past four days she has been showing some good progress. She _can_ be carried now without additional injury, but we still have to be incredibly careful not to jostle her too much." He shrugged. "As her doctor, I vote to keep her here for another day or so just in case."

"But we _can_ take her up to the surface?" Leo prodded, earning a sharp look from Raph.

"Like I said, only if we're extremely careful, and that's just physically." Donny frowned. "I'm worried about how she's going to respond to the scenery and companion shift."

At Leo's confused look, April entered the conversation. "Liza is now most likely associating safety with the lair and you guys. She was scared of me the entire time I was with her- she might now be afraid of humans in general."

"I don't blame her." Mikey frowned, distressed on Liza's behalf. "I mean, it's kinda like getting bit by a dog and then being scared of dogs!"

"She'll be just fine, Mikey." Leo soothed.

"Why're you tryin' to get rid of Liza, Fearless?" Raph asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I'm not trying to get _rid_ of her- she needs a hospital, someplace that can actually help her beyond emergency treatment. Not to mention she has a family who're probably going insane with worry." He shot back, voice softening at the last part.

"...Is she going to be okay, though?" Mikey asked worriedly. "She's so- so quiet and scared all the time."

"I'm sure she'll be just fine, Mikey." Leo smiled reassuringly at his brother. "She just needs some time to recover. Right, Donny?"

The purple clad ninja nodded slowly, eyeing a storm-faced Raphael warily. "Trauma patients often take a number of months to heal."

"And how exactly is she supposed to explain everything that happened to her?" Raph growled, arms folded tensely across his chest. "Kinda odd that she goes missing and then pops up all bandaged and taken care of."

Leo's eyes narrowed. "She got a concussion- she can say she doesn't remember."

"And if that doesn't fly?" Amber glared into tawny.

"Then masked vigilantes saved her but she can't recall anything else. Satisfied?" Forced out through gritted teeth.

"Guys, cut it out." April's voice cut through the tension, making the death-glaring brothers angrily look away. She let out a huff and rolled her eyes. "Donny, would that hold up?"

"Given her injuries and trauma, I'd say it's believable. But she'd have to play it out carefully." Donatello frowned. "She'll need preparation, but I'm not sure how she'll handle this situation."

* * *

Liza stared at them with wide eyes, hurt and fear radiating from the hazel depths (or at least, the uninjured one.) "You...you want me to leave?" She asked shakily, lips trembling. "Did I do something wrong...?"

"No, no, not at all." Donny soothed just as Raph vehemently shook his head, "Of _course not!_ "

There was a brief moment of quiet, heads turned towards Raph in surprise, before Leo refocused on the brunette. "It's nothing you did. We just want you to recover, and you can't do that here. Besides, don't you want to go home? Be with your family?" He coaxed gently.

She paused, eyes widening and her mouth dropping open. "Oh goodness….my _parents_ , my- they must be so _scared_ right now, I hadn't even thought- I-" Her chest rose and fell sharply as her breathing got faster and faster, one hand rising to cover her mouth and her eyes huge with panic and worry and guilt. "I completely forgot- I forgot- they're so _scared_ , _they_ -"

"Hey, hey, calm down, it's okay!" Mikey slipped past Raph to hold the girl in a tight embrace. "It's okay, you're okay, you're safe and they'll be so happy to see you!"

"Noooo…!" Liza let out a plaintive wail that barely reached past normal volume, her voice still too weak and her throat closing. "They'll be so scared and worried and- and- how could I just _forget_ about them? They'll be so _scared_ -" Her voice cut off with a choke as her throat got too tight, and her eyes squeezed shut.

Mikey cooed gently at her and held her closer, her arms reaching to cling to him as tiny noises of grief and distress leaked out.

Donny and Leo exchanged startled looks, dismayed and guilty at the unexpected reaction, but not knowing what to do. Wasn't she supposed to be happy? How could they comfort her about _going home_ , something that should have brought her relief?

Ignoring their plight, Raph leaned down and stared hard at the brunette. "Hey. Liza."

When teary and pained hazel eyes looked up at him, he said firmly, "You were unconscious for most of the time, and the other times you were nearly hysterical. It's not your fault. Get it? Not. Your. Fault."

"But I-"

" _Hey_. What did I just say? NOT. YOUR. FAULT. Okay?" He held her gaze intensely until she nodded slowly, tears slowly blinked back. "Good."

Donny watched silently, surprised that his brother's firm, almost harsh, words actually worked in soothing the brunette where Mikey's gentler approach didn't. He stepped forwards, eager to give his patient the time needed to fully calm herself.

"You know, maybe we should take a bit of a break- give everyone a moment to calm down and get accustomed to the idea." Donny suggested, moving to stand beside Raph and placing a hand on his shoulder. "We can regroup later and talk it through."

"Good idea." Leo nodded but eyed the red clad ninja skeptically. How did he know that would work? And why was he acting so...intense about this?

"I'm gonna stay here with Liza." Mikey stated, patting Liza on the shoulder gently. "It'll be okay," He added to her consolingly, "We can talk or read- or I can tell you about all the pranks I've pulled on my brothers!" The last part was whispered conspiratorially, and earned a small curious look.

"C'mon, let's go get some air." Donny nodded towards the door.

Raph shrugged his hand off with a faint glare and marched outside, closely followed by Leo and Donny.

"Alright- what was that in there?" Leo asked, crossing his arms as he shut the door.

" _What_?" Raph growled, matching his older brother's stance.

"What Leo _means_ to say," the genius sent an annoyed look at Leo, "Is that we're wondering why you reacted so...abruptly, and forcefully, to what Liza said."

Raph narrowed his eyes. He really didn't feel in the mood to talk, least of all about a private moment between him and the brunette. But, maybe if they knew, they could help her? After a moment of consideration he muttered, "She thinks it's her fault."

"What?"

"Liza thinks it was _her fault_ this happened to her." His lips pulled back in a snarl. "She asked me before if she'd done something wrong, something to make this happen to her- as if it was _her_ fault she got kidnapped!"

"That doesn't make sense." Leo's snout wrinkled in consternation.

"I know! But she genuinely seems to believe it!" Raph threw his hands in the air.

"That can be a symptom of trauma." Donny mused slowly, his brow furrowing in thought and disapproval. "Guilt in the way the victim thinks they could have done more, should have done something different, or something to prevent whatever happened."

"Well that's _ridiculously stupid_." Raph snarled. "She's just one girl, what was she gonna do against a whole gang? Fight her way out?"

"Whatever she believes," Leo interjected, holding out a placating hand towards his brother. "She's going to get help for it. Tomorrow we'll bring her to the surface, and she'll get to a hospital."

"Why're you so eager to get rid of her?" Raph growled. "She helped me- we _owe_ her!"

"And we just saved her life- debt repaid." Leo's eyes narrowed into a glare, before he sighed. "Look, it's not that I don't care, but the more time she spends with us the more danger she's going to be in!"

"I hate to disagree here, Leo," Donny spoke up quietly. "But she's already involved in this. There's no way she'll be safe if she distances herself from us- her being kidnapped was proof of that."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Leo huffed out a sigh and ran a hand over his face. "If we leave her alone, she'll just get hurt and if we don't, she'll be targeted again."

"She'll be targeted regardless at this point. Now we're playing damage control." The purple clad ninja winced.

"Then we'll do what we did with April-" Raph growled, clenching his hands to fists. "Show'em it's not a good idea to mess with our friends."

* * *

 **FF: I wonder what he means by that...**


	17. Play the Part

**FF: Woo! 'Nother chapter to read!**

 **Rhodesincolumbus: I like that you like! 8D Behold- it continues!**

 **FF: Okay, Liza's stay with the guys is officially over in this chappy! It's time to move on with the plot! Hope they're all okay with this...**

* * *

 **CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

"It's okay, Liza. You got this." Mikey encouraged, sticking close by as Raphael scrutinized the alleyway with the brunette in his arms.

"I don't know…" She whispered, frightened hazel eyes skittishly flicking around, unable to focus on one thing for too long.

"Oh c'mon, Leo made you repeat it, like, a dozen times! No way you could forget!"

"It's called being thorough, Mikey." Leo glared as he and Donny walked back to the group after checking the alleyway's length. "And it was not a dozen times!"

Raph rolled his eyes and adjusted his grip on the brunette, glancing down at her. "I could hear you muttering it to yourself this whole trip- why'd you think you'll forget?"

Liza looked down, her hand tightening to a fist. "...I'm scared."

It was the day after the plan had been created and announced, the day Liza was taken to the surface. So far, they'd found a suitable alleyway that was deserted enough there was little risk of discovery, yet have it be perfectly reasonable that a 'random' passerby- i.e. April- could stumble upon the brunette and call 911.

"You don't have to be scared, Liza." Donny soothed, offering a kind smile. "We'll be right here with you."

Her gaze flicked to his and his eyes widened at the look at hers, practically able to hear the silent words: _No you won't._

He blinked, startled. "Liza-"

"Look, it's gonna be fine. You're gonna get to a hospital, you're gonna heal up, and you're gonna be fine. Got it?" Donny closed his mouth as he watched Raph capture Liza's attention, his brother even managing to get a twitch of her lips in the beginning of a smile.

But even that faded the instant Raph looked away. She pressed almost imperceptibly closer to him, her fingers curling as if to offer better grip on him, and closed her eyes tightly.

"You okay?"

Donny glanced over to see Leo watching him questioningly and suddenly realized he was frowning. He opened his mouth to explain, but with a furtive glance at the brunette, he just shrugged helplessly.

The blue clad ninja arched an eyeridge but didn't comment.

"When's April supposed to get here anyway?" Raph asked, looking around with a disapproving look on his face.

"In a few minutes." Leo answered, crossing his arms and leaning lightly against the alleyway's wall. "Why?"

"Aw, are your arms getting tired?" Mikey teased, poking at his big brother's bicep obnoxiously. "I can carry her!"

Raph growled and abruptly rotated his arm enough that his elbow caught Mikey in the chin, but kept Liza still comfortably cradled against his chest.

She gasped, looking horrified as she instantly twisted to try and see Mikey.

"Hey, don't move like that!" Donny snapped, worry making his tone sharp. "You'll tear your stitches!"

"Mikey, are you okay?" She reached out a hand towards him while the rest of her body obeyed Donatello's order, hazel eyes wide and horrified.

"Aw, you care!" Mikey cooed, looking utterly thrilled and considerably flattered even as he massaged his sore jaw.

"He's fine- his head's as hard as a rock." Raph grumbled, trying to reposition his hands so she would be unable to twist around again.

"Don't be mean!" Liza turned on Raph and was obviously trying to scold him, but her soft voice seemed completely unable to contain any sort of harshness so it came off more as a imploring murmur.

"Oh c'mon." Raph rolled his eyes.

"At least _someone_ loves me." Mikey sniffed at his brothers as he held the brunette's still outstretched hand and delivered a loud kiss to her knuckles.

Liza blushed darkly, but, before their very eyes, a _smile_ spread across her lips. A genuine, not a bit afraid, shyly pleased smile!

It vanished the second the noise of a car engine registered.

Wordlessly, Mikey spun away from the group and scaled the fire escape to the roof as lookout. "It's April! She's here!" He shouted down, grinning brightly.

"Alright, showtime. You guys know what to do." Leo pushed off from the wall and looked to Raph.

The red clad ninja knelt down and carefully lay Liza on the grimy concrete, making sure her wounds weren't pulled. He put a hand on her shoulder, seeing the paleness of her face and the panic in her eyes, and made her look at him. "We're gonna be up the roofs the whole time, okay? You're not goin' through this alone."

She swallowed hard and took a breath, putting on a see-through brave face as she nodded.

He smiled a little, a bit of pride welling up at the effort she was giving, and squeezed her shoulder before heading up to the fire escape.

"Remember the plan and you'll be fine." Leo assured her, giving a nod before beginning his ascent.

Donny knelt beside her and offered her a reassuring smile, gently touching her hand. "You can do this, Liza. We're here for you."

She nodded again, but her brave face crumbled a little even as she struggled to maintain it.

As the purple clad ninja climbed, Mikey called down, "You got this!" and gave two enthusiastic thumbs up, winning a half smile from her.

As the car rolled to a halt, pausing with its side doors in the middle of the alleyway's entrance, Liza fought to take slow breaths and keep her thoughts calm with the plan at the forefront.

It was time to play the part.

* * *

Her parents had been utterly beside themselves the moment the doctors deemed her 'visitor ready' and let them come racing in. They practically smothered their daughter with frantic kisses and hugs filled with raw emotion that brought tears spilling down their cheeks.

She'd sobbed with them, clinging to them as much as she could because they weren't close enough, too close wasn't even _near_ close enough. How often had she dreamed of this moment during her week long nightmare? How long had she waited for the chance to be in her parent's arms again? It felt like lifetimes.

But they were _there_ , and they were warm and loving and protective and _safe_ and _alive…_!

She'd refused the first time the officers requested entry, too caught up in the sheer and utter joy of having her parents back to ever want the aching relief to end. But it had to at some point, so the second time they asked she nodded and struggled to swallow the fear that choked her throat when the unfamiliar humans entered the room.

Practically all the joy of her reunion was sapped, even with her hands clutching her mother and father on either side, as the questions flew and the words tumbled from her lips. She struggled to act like the clueless victim she needed to be, to pretend she remembered nothing, to ignore the guilt of the knowledge she was lying via omission to people who just wanted to help her.

But the complete truth would help no one.

So at the end of the interrogation- it was to her at least, though the questions had come gently- when the police officers assured her that those who did this to her would be caught and brought to justice, she'd cried with relief.

Just not the relief they thought it was- relief that she'd done it, she'd played her part and she'd pulled it off. The brothers would be so happy….if she'd ever actually see them again.

They'd never said anything concrete about what happened after this, never said anything about meeting up with her again or what she should do, but her mind filled in the gaps enough for her to know that they probably didn't want her around. She'd brought such trouble, after all. And what a burden she had been, injured and practically inconsolable…

Tears of relief faded to tears of grief, and she struggled to hide them from her parents as they hurried to wipe away her tears with tender hands and warm embraces.

She kept her grieving as quiet as she could throughout the long week of her hospital stay and the ride back to her house. Home offered a measure of comfort, and with both parents eager to keep her close she found she could at least stay the tears' approach until it would be too dark to tell she was crying.

But that night as she looked out the window in a rare moment of privacy- just finished dressing herself in a very loose T-shirt from her father so as not to catch on the fresh bandages still protecting her healing gash- she caught sight of a silhouetted figure on a nearby rooftop.

One that had a tiny spark of orange and waved enthusiastically.

She smiled.

* * *

 **FF: Awww, isn't that sweet? Look, they learned from last time- no leaving Liza alone!**


	18. Visitors

**FF: Hello people! I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT! IMMA POST A BONUS CHAPTER! Well, technically, it's not a chapter, kinda like a scene between chapters, but hey- something to get excited about right?**

 **WOLFJADE28: awww, I'm glad you do! 8D**

 **Roxygirl: Yeah, he's so nice! (Liza: I know, it'll just take some time. Awww, thank you! You're so kind- you don't have to though!) *pssst* she likes chocolate chip cookies! ;D**

 **FF: Now then, how has our darling Liza fared so far...?**

* * *

 **CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

Breathe in. Breathe out.

There was a soft whispery noise as the brush slid across the canvas.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

The line twisted and curved with each delicate twist of her hand, spreading the paint thin and smooth.

Breathe in.

Today had been a good day.

She breathed out slowly, carefully modulating the breath slipping out from her lungs and allowing her eyes to slide closed for a brief moment.

For the past five months, recovery had been a difficult road to travel.

Nightmares plagued her sleep almost every night for at least the first three months and, despite their dwindling frequency, they still left her gasping and shaking and sick with terror. She couldn't go into a room without clicking on the lights first, or hovering fearfully at the doorway as if the moment she stepped inside a hidden danger would lunge. She walked as close as she possibly could to the street if she ever had to walk to go to a bookstore or get takeout- a routine she'd only been allowed to try just two weeks ago; her parents having insisted on driving or walking with her for as long as they could.

The months had been spent seeing a psychologist and completing physical therapy exercises. It had taken two out of the five months to recover full control of her body and get it back up to full strength, even perhaps better than she'd been beforehand, but her psychologist had had to work far harder.

Jumping at shadows, flinching from unexpected touch, near passing out when confronted with crowds of unfamiliar people (especially if it involved males), isolating herself in her room in terror, hesitance and fear of opening up to her psychologist- it had been a hard struggle. Her psychologist's gentle efforts to assist with reintegrating into society and recovering from her trauma had worked up to a point, when stress-fueled nightmares and frustration had dragged the progress to a grating halt. It was a wall unable to be breached until the brunette gave up the one piece of information that led to a wonderful breakthrough.

Liza opened her eyes slowly, gazing at the canvas before her, brush still delicately poised over the wet paint.

Art had been the one outlet Liza had utterly and completely forgotten about throughout the trying circumstances. It was a favorite pastime of hers that she'd lost a few years ago and simply hadn't had the heart to try again, completely skipping her mind until the fourth attempt at figuring out hobbies that could help.

In the two and a half months since the breakthrough, she'd improved dramatically. It was more than just a hobby to her. Nightmares that once left her near inconsolable were taken and put on paper or canvas, baring them to the world and pulling their cold grip from her psyche with every calming brushstroke. It was cathartic- taking them from her brain and chaining them to whatever medium she decided to use, unable to harm her again.

She also painted good things, things that didn't haunt her dreams and make her shudder at the very thought of them. Whenever she needed a pick-me-up or had a rare good day, she'd paint something she enjoyed: a sunny day, sunlight passing through leaves, a particularly beautiful eye color she'd once seen…

Her hands hadn't made anything in so long, but they remembered when they had done so frequently, and her art, shaky and tentative at first, quickly grew to and surpassed her previous skill. Along with her exercise routine that stayed even when she'd been released from physical therapy, she painted as much as she could, sketching when painting wasn't possible, and flicking through her old sketchbooks with an aching heart and bittersweet smile.

A soft hum sighed from her throat as a smile gently curved her lips upward. Her good days had been becoming more and more frequent in the past months, and she'd almost entirely lost that haunted look.

She attributed most of her impressive recovery to her visitors.

While her parents had kept her sleeping in their bed with them for the first three weeks, she'd eventually transferred back to her room in the space of the fourth week, and with that return to semi-privacy, she'd begun to receive visitors now and then.

Mikey was obviously one of the most frequent visitors, tapping her window and waking her from sleep with a smile that could light up the whole city. He often brought her a new thing of his to show off- one of his skateboards, an awesome new comic he got, tales of his mischief. He'd once even brought her a bouquet of flowers, flowers that she'd hidden behind a curtain in her windowsill until they wilted and then pressed between the pages of a book.

When he visited, she stepped out onto the roof with him and they softly talked about comics and his pranks and his brothers until the moon was high in the sky. He'd ask her about how she was doing and, though she never lied to him, she always glossed over the worst bits and gave him a tiny smile; he'd always smile back, as if he didn't know that she was sugarcoating it for him.

Donny visited occasionally, popping up to check how she was healing. She didn't hide how much she preferred him to the doctors she'd had at the hospital, even telling him so several times. He'd been flattered and said as much, exchanging shy smiles with her. After he'd check her over, he'd sit with her in her room and talk about her physical therapy and her psychologist. But when he had extra time, she'd show him her bookcase and tell him about stories she'd read but didn't have and he would do the same. They even exchanged books once or twice.

Raphael's visits were more frequent than Donny's, but lesser than Mikey's. His visits with her often ended up with him and her on the roof with her leaning against his side, filling the silence with her soft voice. He was often awkward when he came to visit, wanting to make sure she was alright and possibly spend time with her but not knowing how, so Liza would tell him tiny bits about her country-side home before the city, and occasionally about her days recovering to ease the anxiety she could sense from him. She sugarcoated the recount of her days as she'd done with Mikey, but Raph would call her out on it, and they'd descend into quiet when she'd refuse to answer.

He helped her with her scars. It'd been hard for her to accept them, fearing the memories they brought up and hating the way they were forever branded on her wrists and abdomen as if a lifelong testament to what she'd suffered. He'd listened, didn't try to give her the same 'they show you survived' speech everyone else had, and helped her through it the best he could. Maybe it wasn't the best method, but it _had_ helped, and she was forever grateful.

She'd asked if her captors were going to come after her again in the beginning, a fear that had churned her insides and made her heart stutter in terror every time it drifted to the front of her mind. Each brother had firmly told her that they'd taken care of it, and the looks in their eyes made a small shiver of both fear and relief ripple through her.

She hadn't asked again.

It worried her when they'd come with bandages wrapped around them and taped over painful wounds, her frantic questions given nonchalant answers of 'patrol' or 'ambush'. From the way Mikey and Donnie answered sometimes, not looking her in the eye or shifting uncomfortably, she had a feeling they weren't being entirely truthful. Part of her was scared, and part of her was relieved they wanted to spare her whatever terrifying risks they dealt with day by day.

Leo never visited.

Until-

She jumped at a tapping at her window, automatically glancing at her door to make sure it was shut, before looking to see who it was. She smiled at Mikey's bright grin and, closing her paints and setting her brush in a glass of already paint-muddied water, slid the window open.

"Hey, guys..." Cold night air seeped into her room and she shivered lightly, but her smile widened at Raph's nod and Donny's slight wave. It quickly changed to an 'o' of surprise as she turned. "Leo?" She asked, startled at his appearance as he gave her a slow nod.

"What's going on- why're you all here?" Worry pooled in her gut- why were they all here, indeed. Was there trouble? Did something happen? "Is everything okay?"

Leonardo's intense gaze simply made the worry increase as he leveled cool tawny eyes at her. "We need you to meet someone. You got time for a midnight trip?"

* * *

 **FF: oooh, whoever could that be~?**


	19. Bonus chapter- Scars

**FF: Bonus chapter time!**

 **FF: now this is a scene that I wanted to put in, but didn't really have the space for it. So- bonus chappy! This takes place in the sorta-middle of the five months that Liza was still recuperating. the idea for it just popped up and I scrambled to write it out so it might be a little choppy and rough. Still, I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

 **Scars**

"Hey…"

Liza jumped slightly and snapped her head up to look at the window. She relaxed slightly, recognizing the shadow outside, and offered a small smile. "Hey, Raph. Um, give me a second…"

Raph nodded and drew back from the window, leaning against the wall as she clambered through onto the fire escape. He had to repress a slight pang of guilt, watching how her movements were stiff, how she moved slow to avoid pulling at her injuries.

She stood carefully, a hand resting protectively on her stomach, and smiled at him again.

Raph didn't like the way it didn't reach her eyes. "Wanna hand up?" he motioned towards the roof, wary of letting her climb up herself.

Liza's smile softened and she flushed, nodding. "Thanks." She held up an arm but still gasped quietly when he lifted her into his arms and easily jumped to the roof, setting her down carefully. "It's still a bit...uncomfortable to move around. But my physical therapist says I'm getting better." She told him optimistically.

"S'good." He nodded, waiting for her to settle on the roof before sitting beside her. He perked slightly. "You got your bandages off."

"Hmm? Oh, uh, yeah, this morning." Liza rubbed lightly at her wrists, running her fingers over tender pink lines that encircled both wrists. "It's….it's almost done healing." She told him, sounding….off, somehow. Like she'd meant to say something but suddenly switched it.

He arched an eyeridge, leaning over to examine the injuries. "And?"

She hesitantly held up an arm for him to see better. "And what?"

"You sounded like you were gonna say somethin' else." Raph narrowed his eyes. "It doesn't still hurt, does it?"

Liza hesitated. "Not...not physically." She said slowly, carefully.

He paused. It wasn't often she admitted to being in pain, not in all the weeks he'd visited her as she healed- this was definitely something big. But was he really the right turtle for this? Then again, who else was around?

"Whaddaya mean?" He asked, just as slow.

She bit her lip. "It's going to scar. Obviously, I mean, the marks are already there, you can already see them, but...everyone keeps saying that- that they're something to be proud of, they 'prove I survived', that I was strong…"

She trailed off, staring at the still delicate flesh and rubbing her thumb over the raised lines gently. "...but I...all I can think of is being back there….being trapped and...and tortured…" She whispered, closing her eyes for a second as her voice wobbled a little. "...every time I see them…"

She bit her lip hard and turned her face away from him, her hand gripping her wrist and hiding the scars on that arm from view.

Raph stared at her, internally panicking a little. What was he supposed to say? Was there really anything _to_ say? He wasn't good with this kind of stuff. "Yeah. That's...rough." He said awkwardly.

Liza coughed out a laugh, pressing the back of one hand against her mouth. She looked up, smiling- but it was a painful smile. One that was holding back tears.

"I suppose you would know, right? You've been hurt far worse than I have." She wiped at her nose and tried to calm her breathing, which was a little too heavy to be normal, sending him a quick smile.

He stayed silent, struggling to think of what to say.

Liza looked back down, toying with her hands and touching the scars over and over, sniffling occasionally. "Does...does it ever get better?"

He tilted his head, amber eyes narrowing a little.

She swallowed and wiped at one of her eyes, staring ahead without looking at him. "Do the memories stop hurting?" She asked, a crack in her voice where there wasn't before. "Do they ever leave your head…?"

He thought a moment as she waited beside him.

"No." He said after a few seconds. "Not for you."

"...why?" She asked softly.

"You're new at this. You never hurt like this before...you're not like us." He told her plainly, but his gruff voice was quiet. "Yeah, it's gonna stick in your head for a long time. And it's gonna hurt. Prob'ly for a long time."

A tear slipped down her cheek, quickly followed by others, but she didn't flinch. She just kept staring ahead. "I had a feeling." She whispered.

Raph looked at the ground, his hands- draped over his legs as he leaned forward and rested his forearms on his knees- curling into fists. Helpless and responsible for her pain yet again.

He nearly jumped when she leaned her side against his, her head gently tipping to touch against his shoulder. "Thank you." She whispered softly, tears still silently dripping down her face.

"What for?"

She didn't answer for a moment, but her eyes were open and her expression was more calm and thoughtful than grieved. "Being honest." She finally said, her eyes slipping closed and her body leaning against him more firmly.

After a few moment's hesitation, he slid his shoulder out from under her head and wrapped his arm around her. Though she tensed at first, he inwardly smiled when she melted gently against him, a soft smile touching the corners of her mouth.

Well, he couldn't take the pain away, but he supposed this was good enough.

* * *

 **FF: yeah, not quite happy with how...abrupt this feels, but I loved writing about Liza's relationship with Raph. It's very sweet 3**


	20. Midnight Trip

**FF: AUGH daylight savings time threw me off, I'm sorry!**

 **WOLFJADE28: Alright, final answer 'Splinter' for 20 points, let's see if you're correct! *gestures grandly towards the chapter* Yeah, the truth ain't a pretty thing sometimes :( but don't worry, she'll be okay!**

 **Roxygirl: Hush, Raph, she's just proud of you ^w^ (Liza: *gasps* Ohmygoodness! Cookies! Thank you so much! *grins widely* They look delicious! I better go share them!) Aw, yay! *happily watches confetti* Thank youuuuuu!**

 **FF: Alright, sorry for the lateness of this chappy, but it is here now so off we go!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER NINETEEN**

Liza's eyes widened, her heart stuttering at the serious look on Leo's face. "W-what?"

"No, no, it's all good!" She looked over to find Mikey grinning widely and reaching out to pat her on the shoulder. "We just wanna take you home so you can meet our dad!"

"Your dad...?" She echoed faintly.

"Yeah. He got back from a trip shortly after you left and wanted to meet you." Donny explained, sending her a reassuring smile. "He just wanted to give you enough time to recover before asking."

"Oh." Liza swallowed, biting her lip in thought. "I, um, I-I don't know, I don't think tonight's gonna work..."

"Aw, how come?" Mikey seemed to wilt in disappointment.

"Oh, no Mikey," the brunette melted against the youngest ninja's puppy dog eyes, her expression torn between guilt and regret, "I'm sorry, it's just I- I wasn't expecting this and, and my parents-" She glanced back at her door and gestured helplessly.

"Relax, we get it." Raph uncrossed his arms and rolled his eyes.

"When are you available, then?" Leo asked.

"Um, I don't know, um...tomorrow?"

"Is that a statement or a question?" Donny smiled.

"I don't know- both?" She offered, giggling nervously.

"Alright, it's settled then." Leo glanced at the brunette and nodded once. "Tomorrow."

Liza ducked her head, looking up at the brothers submissively. "Tomorrow. I promise." She murmured.

* * *

"I don't think this is a good idea…!" Liza gulped, shaking as she skittered back from the edge of her roof.

"C'mon, girl- it's fine!" Mikey insisted, easily balancing along the same edge she retreated from. "We're, like, rooftop hopping pros!"

"It doesn't seem very safe…" She pressed against the wall, glancing to her window anxiously.

Her parents were safely asleep, and the brothers had promised she wouldn't be gone for more than two hours at the most. While she was still nervous, she was willing to go. When they'd mentioned their mode of transportation, however, her opinion had swiftly changed.

"You promised you'd come." Leo reminded her, leaning on the opposite side of the window. She suspected it was so she couldn't escape back inside- pff, as if she'd go back on a promise.

"No, I know, I know, it's just, I- I'm not good with heights." She stared at him pleadingly. "A-and what if you slip, or fall? Isn't there a safer way?"

"Not for us." He answered. At her wince and fearful peek at the edge, he spoke more gently, "This is the fastest, most efficient, _and safest_ way for us to take. We won't let you fall."

"Like Mikey said-" Donny smiled reassuringly at her. "We're pros at this."

Liza pressed tighter against the wall, a strangled noise leaking from her throat. "Oh goodness, I don't kno- OH!" She squeaked in shock when Raph simply swept her up in his arms.

"Just hold on and keep your eyes closed." He instructed, readying to make the jump to the neighboring roof.

" _OhmygoodnessRaphWAIT-_!" Liza gasped out, barely managing to lock her arms around his throat before he took off and leaped.

She could faintly hear Mikey whooping in excitement and the others following Raph's lead, but her heart was pounding so hard and the rush of the wind in her ears and the feeling of weightlessness made her coil around the red clad ninja in an effort to stay on.

Raph grunted at the sensation of her nails digging into the back of his neck, her arms taut and trembling with tension even as they landed and ran across the rooftop. "Mind not clawing me to bits?" He grumbled, adjusting his hold on the brunette.

She obliged, her hands switching from clawing his skin to scrabbling to find purchase on his shell, her head ducked tight against his chest. _Don't throw up, don't throw up, don't throw up,_ she repeated sickly to herself.

She didn't know how long she mentally whispered the mantra, struggling to ignore the sharp sway of their bodies as Raph sprinted towards countless ledges and leaped across countless chasms with her in his arms, didn't know how long the nausea welled up in her gut.

"Hey! You doing okay?" Donny shouted over the wind, switching course to run alongside his brother.

She couldn't answer, barely managing a weak nod before crushing herself further against Raph. Her arms felt like they'd fall off from the stress of constant use at full capacity- her fingers felt like they already did.

"She's like a boa constrictor…" Raph huffed, wincing slightly at a particularly sudden landing and the resulting tightening of the female wrapped around him.

"Last jump!" Leo shouted in warning, somewhere ahead of everyone, and Liza tried to brace herself.

The abrupt drop sent her stomach soaring to her throat, along with the rest of her inner organs, and the second the harsh _THUD_ and roll of the landing was over, she violently shoved herself out of Raphael's arms.

"Wha- HEY! _Oh…_ " The red clad ninja grimaced, his surprise at the ferocity of her sudden struggle fading into sympathetic disgust as the poor brunette vomited onto the grimy sewer floor, her entire body shuddering with the force of it.

"Oooh, Liza…" Mikey whined in sympathy, as Donny quickly dropped to a knee by her side, one hand rubbing her back soothingly while the other held her hair back.

"Hey, you okay?" He asked gently.

Liza coughed out something like a sob and shook her head, gasping and shaking.

"Do you feel like throwing up again?"

Another shake of the head, and a weak moan as tears stung her eyes.

"It's okay, it's okay…" He soothed, gently leaning her back before picking her up, cradling her against his chest.

"You going to be alright?" Leo asked, frowning worriedly at the sweat on her sickly pale face.

Liza blearily cracked her eyes open to look at him and nodded faintly, letting her head thump back against Donatello's plastron.

"Poor Liza…" Mikey cooed, gently patting the brunette's head. "I'll get you some water. That'll make you feel better, right?"

She nodded weakly, and peeked through her lashes to offer a tiny smile.

"Make sure it's lukewarm!" Donny shouted after his little brother, Mikey having taken off at a brisk jog down the tunnels ahead.

"C'mon," Leo motioned after Mikey, his voice gentle. "It's not far ahead."

The walk was blessedly quiet, giving Liza the needed time to calm herself and slowly work through the sluggishly dissipating nausea. She even slipped into a doze, dazedly musing, _Probably not the best way to meet their dad…_ as her eyes closed.

"Here you go!"

Liza jolted in surprise, abruptly awakening to blink at Mikey, who'd run up with a glass of water in hand. Confused, she quickly glanced around to find- Oh. They were at the lair already? How long had she been asleep? It was strange to be back here, healthy and not in agonizing pain, though she supposed nausea was close enough.

Her startled expression melted into a tired smile as she gratefully took the glass. "Thanks Mikey." She whispered, taking careful sips as the liquid soothed her throat and washed away the bitter aftertaste.

"Anything for you, milady!" He winked, grinning when her smile widened a little.

"C'mon," Donny stepped past his brother and headed towards the sofa. "Let's get you on the couch."

As Mikey and Donny carefully placed her on the cushions- Mikey happily positioning pillows for her- Raph padded over and leaned on the couch's back. "You doin' okay?"

"Better." She nodded faintly, glancing to the side to offer, "Thank you," to the two younger brothers.

"No problem, Liza." Donny smiled.

"Is everything alright?"

Liza cracked her tired eyes open at the unfamiliar voice, only to freeze mid sip of her water at the figure approaching the couch, her eyes widening.

"...oh."

* * *

 **FF: dingdingding! WOLFJADE28 wins 20 points! Congratulations!**


	21. First Meet and Secret

**FF: EEP I was almost late with this one!**

 **WOLFJADE28: Dōitashimashite! You and me both- i love posting chapters!**

 **FF: Now then, how do you guys think Liza will react to seeing Splinter? Scream? Faint? Panic? React calmly?**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY**

"Everything's fine, Sensei." Leo quickly explained, slipping past his brothers to stand by his father. "Liza just got sick on the way over."

"Threw up in tunnels." Mikey clarified, grimacing sympathetically.

"It's okay- M'fine." Liza whispered, wincing as she tried to sit up and gently wave away Donny's warning hold on her shoulder. Distantly, she knew she should be shocked at his appearance- but after months of hearing about their father and being visited by teenage mutant ninja turtles, and especially after having her energy sapped thanks to getting sick, the shock simply didn't last that long.

"It is alright." The mutant rat held up a calming hand, noting the faintly glazed look in the brunette's eyes. "Rest. Take what time you need to recover."

"Are you sure?"

"I will wait."

"If it's alright…" Liza reluctantly sank back down, her movements tentative, as if she were preparing for him to sudden retract his offer to let her rest.

"Rest, and come join me when you feel you are ready." Instructions delivered, he calmly turned and walked back the way he came, slipping past paper doors into a darkened room.

Suddenly noting the silence coating the room, the brunette cleared her throat and awkwardly murmured, "Well...that was very nice of him."

"Just hospitality." Leo hummed.

"No, it was common sense." Donny corrected, smacking lightly at her arm as he scolded, "You don't push someone who just threw up- especially if that person is yourself!"

"But I'm fine!" Liza protested, flinching away from the reprimanding taps and trying to keep her glass balanced.

"Oh really? Get up and walk across the room and then run back."

"I meant for talking." The brunette pressed deeper into the cushions, sipping at her water almost sulkily.

"Hey, leave her alone!" Mikey wrapped his arms around the brunette's shoulders as best he could, sending Donny a pouty protective look. "She's had a rough night."

"Hey, I get enough from you guys- she doesn't need to pick up any bad habits."

"Are you saying we're a bad influence?" Mikey gasped, mock-outraged.

"She's hardly ever seen us when we're hurt, how could we have passed on any bad habits?" Raph rolled his eyes.

"Osmosis?" Liza offered quietly, smiling when Mikey laughed and Donny groaned. Her smile faded when she looked around. "Where's Leo? He was just here..."

"Dojo." Mikey and Raph spoke at the same time.

"He's almost always practicing or meditating." Donny shook his head. "You need a crowbar or something to pry him away."

Liza's expression pinched slightly, concerned. Did he really work that hard and so long? Wasn't that unhealthy? And why did he leave? He never seemed to linger long when she was there, and he'd never come to see her. Maybe...he didn't like her?

She smoothed out her expression and sighed softly, sipping some more water. No. She'd give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he just didn't know what to say, or maybe he didn't see the point in sticking around with his brothers soaking up her attention.

She listened to the brothers' bantering and offered tiny comments here and there for a few minutes, before finishing the rest of her drink. "Thank you for keeping me company, but I think I should go talk to, uh...your sensei." She faltered over what to call their father. "Sensei means 'teacher', right?"

"Yeah. Do you know Japanese?" Donny perked, pausing mid-snark at Raph to smile at the brunette.

"No- well, only very little. My sister loved languages." Liza confessed as she carefully heaved herself up, relieved that her stomach had settled, and looked for a place to put her cup. "Uh, where do I-?" She cut off when she realized what she'd said, grip on the glass tightening.

Mikey popped to his feet and took the glass from her hand, eyes widening in excitement. "You have a _sister_?"

Liza tensed, her lips pressing together.

Shoot. She'd meant to say 'friend', how had that slipped out? After all those months keeping her lips sealed and carefully avoiding certain questions and answers, and now she'd messed it all up. Curse herself for letting her guard down! More importantly, how was she supposed to answer this one, when even she didn't know the answer?

She looked to the orange clad turtle and gave a tiny, sad smile. "...yes and no." She murmured gently, heart beginning its familiar aching, before slipping past them to hurry to the paper doors their father had disappeared into.

She stopped before them, her hand hovering over the wood. She had no idea what to expect. He seemed nice, very calm- even serene. But…

Liza glanced back at the boys she'd left behind, but quickly flinched back around when she saw their confused and questioning looks- though it was Donny's odd look of knowing sadness that made her heart ache worse and her stomach tighten. She knocked delicately on the wooden part of the doors, the desire to escape the inevitable questions giving her the courage to act.

"Enter."

She swallowed and took a deep breath, and then gently slid one door open. She shut it behind her and turned, but had to pause with a quick, sucked in breath.

The room was beautiful.

It was dark, yes, but the numerous candles lighting it up gave the atmosphere a soft, warm feeling. A little bonzai tree grew on the shelf of a bookcase, though the top shelf was decorated with delicate knicknacks. Tapestries with Japanese characters painted on hung on two of the walls. In the middle of the room was a mat, a dark wooded table, and four cushions spread out in a row before it.

On the side of the table opposite to her, was the brothers' sensei.

Watching her reaction calmly with dark eyes.

Taking another breath, she carefully approached and, after a moment of nervous consideration, sank onto the cushion that allowed her to be directly in front of the mutant. A quick thought wondering whose cushion she was kneeling on flitted through her mind, before she shooed it away, eyes lowered.

"...you room is beautiful." She whispered into the silence, tension coiling in her already abused stomach.

"Thank you. It has taken much work." He smiled softly. "Do you know why you are here?"

"You wanted to talk to me." Liza answered, gaze flicking to his a moment before returning to the floor. "Thank you for waiting. Not just now but...back then."

"It would not have been wise to overtax you when you had just endured a traumatizing experience."

She nodded, wondering if he was talking about all those months ago or when she'd thrown up only a few minutes ago. Maybe both? "It was very kind of you…"

There was a slight pause. She didn't dare to look up.

He chuckled. "You do not need to be so anxious. I assure you, all I wish to do is talk."

"Oh, no, I'm sorry, I just-" She cut herself off, biting her lip, staring hard at the cushion she sat on. There was a tear that had been expertly sewed shut on the right corner. "I just don't know what to expect…or do..."

"What do you think will happen?" He asked. She marveled at the steadiness of his calm tone- how did he do that? How did he sound so perfectly neutral yet encouraging?

"Um, I think...I think you're going to try and get a feel of my personality...of who I am as a person...maybe some background info. T-to make sure I won't be a danger to you, or your family." Liza whispered, struggling to calm her rapidly beating heart.

"You are very perceptive." He hummed.

"I try…" Her voice was barely a whisper now.

"And you succeed." He chuckled. "Before we indeed speak of what you said, however, I believe proper introductions are in order."

"My name is Liza Michaels." She lifted her eyes nervously, unsure about the warm expression on his face. "It's nice to meet you." She added nervously.

"My name is Splinter." He caught the slight tightening in her expression and smiled. "You may call me as such. It is of no offense."

"I'm sorry," She ducked her head, flushing. "It just seems….incredibly informal."

"Would you prefer another name to call me?"

"No, no. I-I'll get used to it." She bit her lip and glanced around, giving a nervous laugh. "This is all just...a little overwhelming."

"Understandable." Splinter nodded sagely. "Now, I wish to ask you something."

Her gaze flipped back to him and she tried to keep the anxiety from her voice. "Yes?"

"I know of what happened all those months ago from my childrens' perspective, but I wish to hear it from yours as well."

Hazel eyes widened. "I- I don't know if I can remember it all, I….I wasn't in a very good place for a while...mentally I mean." She whispered, a faint tremor rippling through her body. "It's..still hard to think about it."

"I am aware. Just tell me what you can, what you are comfortable with." He assured her gently.

"Okay..." She whispered.

* * *

 **FF: Oh dear. Liza's all scared and apparently has a sister! Liza! Why you no tell us these thing?! :(**


	22. Hacked History

**FF: No reviews to answer this time- disappointing, but I understand.  
**

 **FF: Now behold, the new chapter is here! Wonder how the guys are gonna react to Liza suddenly saying she has a sister...**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY ONE**

Donny blinked as Liza vanished into the room, noticing his brother staring at him with an intense look on his face. "What's with that look?"

Raph's eyes narrowed. "You know somethin'."

"I know a lot of things- you're going to have to be more specific." He sassed lightly.

"Nu-uh, you don't get to evade. You know something about Liza." The red clad ninja pointed an accusing finger at his brother. "I saw that look on your face."

"What look?" Mikey asked, intrigued, water glass forgotten.

"There was no look-"

"Like he wasn't even surprised that Liza had a sister." Raph growled, glancing towards Mikey. "Did she tell you anything about a sister?"

"Not a thing!"

The two turned intense gazes on their brother. "Donny…."

Donatello stiffened, his eyes switching between the two. "C'mon, guys, is this really your business? I mean, if Liza wanted you to know she'd-"

" _You_ know." Raph glared. "And I doubt you got that from asking."

Donny paused mid word, his mouth clacking shut. "...fair point."

"Soooooooooo….?" Mikey insisted, leaning close to his brother's face with a wide grin.

Donny sighed, reluctantly giving in. "Liza has a sister- her name's Lyska, 2 years older."

"That's so _cool_!" Mikey bounced excitedly. "Where is she? How come we haven't seen her?"

"Probably the same reason Liza never mentioned her. Lyska ran away when Liza was 12. Completely vanished. Nobody's seen her since." He answered quietly.

" _What_?" Mikey's excitement drained away, leaving him staring in shock.

"From the police report they were pretty close too." Donny sighed, closing his eyes.

"Poor Liza…" Mikey keened softly.

"Man, that's…" Raph shook his head, trying to wrap his mind around it. Liza had lost her sister. It didn't make sense. "I remember her tellin' me about a friend she had back home but…" Then again, how quietly grieved she'd seemed when talking almost reverently about said 'friend'. "...she had a _sister_?"

Donny nodded. "This year's the fifth she's been gone. Soon to be sixth."

"Wait a second..." Raph's eyes narrowed. "How'd you find out about this? You already said she didn't tell you."

"Well a missing person thing would be pretty well known, right?" Mikey said, tensing at the agitation in his brother's tone.

"I looked her up is all." Donny shifted uncomfortably.

"Yeah, no. You never just 'look up' something." Raph scoffed, and his gaze turned into a glare. "You researched her. And you never told us."

"Leo didn't want me to!" Donny snapped, then froze.

" _Leo_?" Raph growled.

"What would Leo want with Liza? He barely ever talks to her!" Mikey blinked, confused.

"He just wanted me to do a background check- see if there was anything suspicious!"

" _Liza? Suspicious_?" Raph repeated incredulously, his anger swelling.

Donny leveled a flat look on his brother. "Our track record with 'friends' hasn't exactly been spotless, has it?"

"Couldn't he have just _asked_ her?" He insisted roughly.

"Would she have answered?" Donny's eyes narrowed and he continued before Raph had the chance to do more than open his mouth. "And I mean _actually_ answer it- not give an empty answer. That in itself is a bit worrisome, you have to admit."

Raph growled but said nothing.

It was true. Liza was exceptionally good at wiggling her way out of answering something she was uncomfortable with, somehow managing to respond in the perfect way that felt like the question was answered but actual revealed nothing. He couldn't count the number of times she'd evaded his questions all those nights on the roof.

"I don't think she does it to be sneaky or anything." Mikey said thoughtfully. "Whenever she did that with me it was always when I asked about how things were going for her, like with her nightmares and stuff. I think she just doesn't want to make us upset."

"Definitely sounds like her." Raph humphed, but it was more agreeable than irritated.

"Look, getting back on track, all Leo wanted me to do was check to make sure everything was okay. I did, and nothing came up. She's fine. You guys already knew she wasn't a threat or anything, so Leo didn't think we should tell you something you already knew." Donny explained, trying to smooth over the situation that he knew was going to end badly.

"What did you find?" Mikey asked curiously.

"Nothing much." He shrugged. "Just her school records, the police report, a few news clippings of the disappearance, etc."

"D'you think she'll be mad?" Mikey wondered.

"'Mad' isn't even in Liza's vocabulary." Raph rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but this is private information, right?" Mikey pressed. "What happens when she finds out?"

Raph snorted. "C'mon, this is Liza we're talking about! The worst I've ever seen her get is a bit huffy and that's it!"

"Well, you know what they say- watch out for the quiet ones!"

Donny stayed silent, watching the exchange between his brothers as they began to bicker and snark. A slight frown dipped the corner of his mouth downwards.

What if she _was_ mad? Those were her personal records, and he had gone snooping through them. Well, not snooping, that implied malicious intent. He was just...information gathering.

But some of the information he'd found was...troubling. Not the kind of trouble Leo was suspicious of, (he'd refrained from telling his brother about this,) but enough to warrant concern.

He wished he could ask Liza about it, have her explain, but wondered if she'd give him a straight answer, or an evade.

The frown deepened.

* * *

Liza wished she could breathe a sigh of relief. She and Splinter were indeed done talking- and what a relief that was, no offense meant to the wise rat- and he had asked for some time to think everything over, to reflect and meditate on everything he said. She had completely understood.

But she still worried over whatever he would do or say once he'd finished. Would he approve or disapprove of her? She had no clue if she'd passed or failed his examination.

She sighed, then sucked in a deep breath for courage. She pushed the door open, bracing herself for questions about how it went, but froze at the raised voices that met her ears instead.

"-had a right to know!" Raphael snarled, throwing a hand out in an aggressive gesture.

"That what? We were being cautious?" Leo hissed back. "That we did exactly the same thing we did with April?"

Liza trembled as she pried her fingers from the door and slid it shut, an all too familiar sick feeling clenching her stomach. She barely noticed Mikey and Donny peering in from the kitchen, expressions a mixture of resignation, annoyance, and worry, too focused on the agitated older brothers facing off.

"' _We'_? _We_ weren't involved- just you and Donny! 'Cause you didn't think that we 'needed to know' either!" A detached part of her brain admired how Raph managed to make air-quoting seem threatening.

"Because you didn't! It would't've mattered! We didn't _find_ anything so-" Leo broke off abruptly, and Liza shrank back when his sharp tawny gaze focused on her.

Raph swung around to glare at whatever Leo deemed more important than their argument, the ferocity of his snarl softening at recognizing the brunette. "Liza-..."

"Is...is everything alright?" She whispered, looking back and forth between the brothers skittishly as her arm curled protectively towards her chest. She could feel the tension crackling through the air, coiling around her suffocatingly close, her heart pounding against her ribcage with horrible anticipation.

"No-"

"Yes, everything is fine, Liza. Right, Raph?" Leo cut him off through a stiff jaw, giving him a firm glare.

"As if!" Raph shoved Leo's shoulder, fuming. "You don't get to decide what we can or can't know!"

"Raph-!"

Liza's soft gasp at the aggressive action, her hand reaching out instinctively in a futile attempt to stop it, was lost as he steamrolled right through Leo's protest.

"Leo had Donny hack your files and research you and then decided to keep it a secret from everyone- his own family!" he declared furiously, shooting his brother a seething glare that was wholeheartedly returned.

Liza's eyes widened further and slid to Donny, who winced under her gaze. "You...hacked my files?"

* * *

 **FF: Oh shoot 0_0**


	23. Evade

**FF: I'm late I'm late I'm late I'm late! Augh! Y'ever have that moment where you're gonna post a thing and everythings fine but then you see that ONE LITTLE THING that you could add in/fix and then it just consumes the whole chapter? 'cause that jut happened.**

 **WOLFJADE28: We shall see..**

 **Roxygirl: It's okay, I understand- life gets so busy sometimes, ugh -_- Don't worry, she'd go with you quite willingly if you told her you knew where Liza was! Sorry I was late with updating, I'll do my best to stay on schedule next time! And do please come back alive! I'd miss you!**

 **I Write When I Am Bored: Ah! So lovely to see a new person! 8D Thank you so much, I'm overjoyed you liked it! Apologies for lateness!**

 **FF: Okay, now then, how will Liza react? how will the boys react to her reaction? How will you react to their reactions about her reaction? Let's go see!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY TWO**

"It was a safety precaution. " Leo said, crossing his arms and watching her with a steady, unapologetic gaze.

"I- we didn't mean to invade your privacy, Liza." Donny spoke up nervously, eyeing Liza with a wary kind of guilt. "We just had to make sure that….you know...you were…." He trailed off, unable to come up with the right words.

Liza blinked rapidly, glancing to the floor as her mind worked to absorb the situation and her stomach roiled at the tension in the air.

This was...new. And certainly not what she'd expected. She supposed breaking into one's files was indeed and huge invasion of privacy, but she'd never seen her own files, never really thought about it before. So, to be honest, she didn't much care if they'd been hacked by Donny.

More so, it made sense. Why _wouldn't_ they look her up? What with the life they lived, the danger and enemies sure to be lurking around and using underhanded tactics, she was more surprised she hadn't expected this from the start.

"I...it's okay." She said after a moment, shaking herself slightly to pull out from her thoughts. "I understand."

"' _It's okay'_?" Raph repeated incredulously, fists tightening when the brunette flinched at his tone. "Your privacy is ripped to shreds and you say 'it's okay'?!"

"I- it makes sense. It was to protect yourselves, wasn't it?" She stammered skittishly. "But-" She cut herself off quickly, refusing to let her tongue slip yet again.

"But what?" Leo asked. She couldn't figure out if his tone was cool or cold or calm or what, but she knew that she treaded on thin ice.

"It's nothing, nevermind." She whispered, dropping her gaze to the floor and fidgeting with her hands.

"It's not nothing- what were you gonna say?" Raph demanded as he marched towards her until he was staring her down with that intense amber gaze.

Liza knew he probably just wanted her to have a voice in the situation, to be beside her to show support, but she couldn't help but feel like a weapon in someone else's war as her throat instinctively obeyed.

"I just…" She whispered sickly. Her legs were starting to shake. "It seems weird not to tell everyone what you found. E-even if you didn't find anything, shouldn't everyone know? Just in case?"

"Thank you for your opinion, Liza, but Raph's already on my case about that. Don't add more fuel to the fire." Leo growled.

She ducked her head, cheeks aflame, trying to curl into herself and make herself smaller. "Sorry…" She whispered, as Raph abruptly snarled, " _Hey_!"

He stalked up to his brother and jabbed a finger into his chest. 'What is _with_ you?!"

"What's with _me_?!"

"Raph-" Her voice was too quiet to be heard, and it choked the moment it tried to escape her throat. No, no, no, they couldn't fight- not because of her! She couldn't take a fight, not now, not when she was so off balance-

" _Enough_!"

Liza jumped at the sudden command snapped from Donatello, who roughly shoved the elder brothers apart and leveled a stern glare on both.

"Will you two just stop?! Can't you see you're scaring Liza?" He scolded angrily, storming over to the brunette and wrapping a protective arm around her.

She hadn't realized how hard she was shaking until she was pressed up against his side. She would've flushed at the level of contact if she wasn't too busy using his warmth and steadiness to try and calm herself, struggling to contain the sickening churn of her stomach and burning shame on her cheeks.

"I'm taking Liza home now- you two better have your act together by the time I'm back or I'm going straight to Splinter!" Donny threatened, gently scooping the brunette into his arms and marching away from the horrible tension, with Mikey hurriedly slipping up beside them to escape the oppressive atmosphere.

Liza nearly drowned in relief at the escape, giving a shudder and letting herself bury her face against his chest while her arms wrapped about his throat in a loose hug of gratitude. She twitched when Mikey's hand gently touched hers, but was quick to give a thankful squeeze at the comfort he offered.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, giving Liza the time to finally ease her shaking and soothe her churning stomach. When she was finally breathing calmly, she gathered her courage and whispered, "...i'm sorry."

Donny looked down, brows furrowed in confusion. "For what?"

"The fight…It wasn't my place to say anything...I made it all worse…" Her grip on him tightened at the fresh memory. "I'm sorry…"

"No, Liza, it wasn't your fault!" Mikey protested, patting at her arm to try and comfort her. "They fight like that all the time!"

Her head lifted to stare at him. "What?"

"Raph and Leo have a...strained relationship." Donny explained slowly, searching for the right words to use. "They're almost always fighting about something or other."

"Oh." Liza blinked, brows furrowing and heart giving a painful ache. "That sounds...sad."

"It's not that bad!" Mikey smiled encouragingly. "They don't fight like that very often- and they can get along pretty easily if they try!"

"Besides, we're used to it now." Donny shrugged, careful not to jostle the brunette. "They start fighting and it's like, 'oh hey it's Tuesday'."

Her eyes softened and she frowned, not laughing at the joke. "...are you guys okay, though?" At their perplexed stares she hesitantly continued, "I...I know fights can be hard for everyone, not just the participants."

Donny's expression gentled and he held her a bit tighter, as if to give her a subtle hug. "We're fine Liza. It's just annoying now."

"But thanks for thinking of us!" Mikey slipped in front of his brother to envelop Liza in a hug as best he could. "You're so _sweet_!"

She was just starting to smile when Donny looked up and announced, "We're here."

Spotting the manhole cover in the dim light killed her smile instantly and her grip on Donatello instinctively tightened as her stomach clenched in remembrance of the….unsettling journey.

Noting her reaction, he added slowly, "...but, I suppose we could find a way through the sewers so we don't have to roofhop."

The brilliant, vastly relieved smile she gave him was a wonderful reward.

* * *

They'd only been walking and chatting for a few minutes, enough time for Liza to be lulled into a sense of security, when Mikey paused a bit before responding.

"Mikey?" Liza prompted gently, smiling.

"Hey, Liza? Can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Why didn't you tell us about Lyska?"

She froze, the smile completely dropping from her face and her expression near horrified. She stared in silence for a moment before she found her voice again. "What...how did…?"

"Your records involved a missing persons case." Donny answered quietly.

She made a small noise of acknowledgement, pressing her hands to her face and dragging them down as she slowly pulled in a breath.

"Why'd you keep a secret? After all this time?" Mikey prodded, a faint look of hurt on his face.

"Mikey, no, I-" Liza hated that look of pain, ripped her eyes from his as she shoved some hair from her face. "I just didn't want to upset you- upset anyone. I haven't...I've never told anyone about this, and- I dunno, I just...I wanted…."

She sighed. This wasn't coming out right.

"...I didn't want things to change…" She confessed softly, unable to meet his eyes. "I didn't want to... _drop_ my sob story on you or anything."

"Liza…" Mikey snuck his arms underneath her and lifted her out of Donny's grasp into his own, not noticing how Donny's hands locked for a moment before releasing. She sucked in a sharp gasp of surprise that was quickly muted when Mikey cuddled her close. "We'd never hold it against you or anything- it wasn't your fault she ran away! I was just worried you didn't trust us!"

"No, Mikey." She wrapped her arms around him in a hug, pressing her cheek against him in an effort to convey earnesty and comfort. "I trust you guys. I trust you guys with my life!"

Donny offered a gentle stroke along her spine and while his touch was gentle, his expression was tight.

* * *

"Thank you." Liza smiled warmly as she was set on the fire escape, letting her hand linger on Mikey's arm in thanks. "For everything. And sorry for everything too. I didn't mean to cause so much trouble."

"Liza, you did not!" Mikey insisted, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. "You are wonderful and not a burden and that's final." He nodded firmly as that would declare the matter shut once and for all.

Her smile softened. "Thank you Mikey. That means a lot."

"Hey, Mikey?" Donny glanced to his brother. "Can you head back, make sure Leo and Raph aren't at each other's throats?"

Mikey arched an eyeridge. "Uh, sure? Aren't you coming?"

"There's something I want to do first."

He blinked, eyed both his brother and the brunette, then grinned. "Y'know, if you wanted alone-time you coulda just _asked…_ "

"Wait, wha- NO! No, I just wanted to _talk-_!" Donny stammered, flustered by the insinuation. Liza didn't fare much better, eyes widening and a flush beginning to stain her cheeks.

"Alright, sure, whatever you say!" Mikey waved airily, sending Liza a wink that made her blush deepen. He couldn't resist a teasing, "Be good kids!" as he leaped away, cackling when Donny's furious swipe missed.

The two stared after him, flustered and entirely uncertain as to how to proceed.

"He's uh," Donny cleared his throat awkwardly. "He's just messing with us."

Liza nodded, offering a weak hum of agreement as she brushed away the hair from her face and looked away.

He winced. Great. Now everything was awkward.

"Um, what- what was it, that you wanted to talk about?" Liza asked hesitantly.

"Right, uh, I wanted to talk to you about your files." He nodded, jumping on her merciful attempt to get them back on track.

Liza blinked at him in confusion. "Then why did Mikey have to leave? Don't you all know what's on them now?"

"Ah, no. I kept it mostly private- well, as much as I could anyways." He shrugged weakly, a bit of guilt poking at him.

"Oh. That was very kind of you." She smiled gently.

"Sort of…" He mumbled, wondering how she could brush off such a breach of privacy with just a smile, (April certainly hadn't when her files had been hacked). "Anyways, I found your medical records and I had some questions."

There.

Her eyes widened, her hands twitched, a split second of realization across her face-

But then she was back to normal, looking at him so patiently with a slight tilt to her head that he wondered if he'd imagined it. "What about them?" She asked curiously.

"It said you'd been admitted to the hospital before, with some rather serious injuries." He said slowly, eyeing her carefully.

"I'm aware." She nodded, a faint teasing tone in her voice. "I was there when April brought me in."

"No, no, before that. When you were, I think, 14?" He squinted, thinking back to what he'd read.

"Donny, I lived in the countryside, I loved climbing trees. It's very easy to slip or fall and get hurt."

"I know, but what with the report said…" he shrugged helplessly, hoping she could see the concern in his face and voice. His suspicions, while still there, were slowly softening in the face of her reassuring expression.

"Don't tell me you've never made a mistake that ended up badly." She laughed softly, a wry smile on her lips.

"I- well…" he chuckled. "Alright, you've got me there."

"Don't worry, Donny. I'm fine." She assured him gently, smiling at him so earnestly, so warmly. "There's nothing to worry about, I promise. Everything's fine."

He couldn't help but smile back. "If you say so." With a sigh, he glanced over his shoulder. "Well, I've kept everyone waiting long enough. I should go."

"Okay. Take care, Donny."

"You too, Liza."

It was only when he was a block away from home that he realized it.

She'd evaded.

* * *

 **FF: Shoot, Liza, why'd you have to evade? You don't have anything left to hide do you? Now he's gonna be all worried and everything!**


	24. Unexpected

**FF: Okay! Back on track with editing- I even got this one done early! 8D**

 **Rhodesincolumbus: No matter how many times someone says that I still a warm fuzzy feeling! X3 Thank you!**

 **Roxygirl: Yay! You lived! *hugs* Aww, I hope you're feeling better! haha, once again, she'll go quite willingly! Just expect some snark. A lot of snark. (P.S. I adore your little conversations with the guys- they're so fun and well done! 8D)**

 **FF: Welp. So last chapter was a bit of a disaster for our poor little group. I hope things will get better for them.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY THREE**

Liza couldn't help the affectionate smile that warmed her expression as Mikey bounded down the sewer tunnel ahead of her, her gift clutched triumphantly over his head.

She was going to the lair during the day this time.

She'd ruminated on yesterday's disaster long into the night, scarcely getting any sleep, before coming to a decision. She'd texted Mikey before her courage could run out, asking if she could visit earlier than usual, saying she'd felt bad about how things had gone and hoped to make amends.

His enthusiastic permission and eager encouragement for her to come over as early as possible- sent in the form of exclamation points, smiley faces, and several fireworks- brought a smile to her face, and his subsequent offer to escort her himself eased some of the knots in her stomach.

She relaxed further, enough to laugh, when she saw his stunned/utterly delighted face after she held up the box of cookies she'd baked as a peace offering. It made all the hours she'd spent working on her parents to let her go, cajoling, soothing, reassuring them that she would be perfectly safe and have her phone with her at all times, completely worth it. Granted, she still had to text them every half hour and be home before 8PM and call them if anything happened whatsoever, but that was perfectly fine with her.

But now, walking after Mikey's echoing footsteps, content in the knowledge she'd made him promise not to eat any until he got to the lair, just one tunnel away from said place, her stomach began to churn and her hands flexed by her sides.

What if bringing cookies was cliche? What if they saw it as her trying to buy their forgiveness? She certainly wasn't, she just wanted to prove her innocence, prove that she only wanted to be a friend and hopefully smooth over the previous tension.

Besides, it might help distract Donny from asking about her medical records again.

She'd seen his expression last night, realized what he was putting together, and she desperately wished she could make it all go away. It wasn't like she was hiding anything harmful, nothing that could affect him or his family. And it had happened so long ago it didn't really matter much anymore….right?

How could she talk about it too, when she'd spent so long burying it underneath fake smiles and gentle, lying assurances that she was fine. When she'd spent so long fighting not to burden anyone with what she'd hidden for years. She didn't even know if she _could_ explain it anymore- she certainly didn't want to, not when it would change things.

She hated change. It hurt. Couldn't things stay the same a little longer?

At that moment, she walked into the lair and froze.

Something was wrong.

It was deathly quiet, and there was a familiar tension crackling through the air that made her muscles twitch in preparation to run. It felt like the air before a storm, charged with dark anticipation, but without the reward of cooling rain.

She swallowed and carefully scanned the lair, fighting to quell the anxiety in her gut as she forced herself to venture further. If she could find Mikey, who'd seemed to perky, so normal, she'd be safe. He'd protect her from this oppressive atmosphere, wouldn't he?

Skittishly, she tiptoed around to check the kitchen, peeked into the garage, and silently slipped into the dojo.

Nothing.

With another worried, nervous glance around the dojo with all its mats and weapons neatly piled and organized, she sighed and considered her options. There was his room, but she'd never dared to explore any of their rooms, and while she was fairly sure she'd be welcomed regardless, she didn't want to accidentally pick the wrong one.

That left Donny's lab...which she'd been hoping to avoid.

She sighed again, resigned to her fate, and did her best to muster up the energy to put on a smile as she turned to leave, only to give a massive leap backwards when the door was shoved open just an inch before her to reveal two highly agitated turtles.

" _What the-?!_ " Leo jolted back, one hand automatically reaching for his sword but getting off target when he knocked into Raphael, who snarled and shoved him back, but froze halfway when he spotted Liza.

" _Liza_?" he growled.

"I...I…" Her mouth opened and closed uselessly, eyes impossibly huge and heart beating so fast she feared she'd break a rib. Her stomach was practically _frothing_ , it felt so _sick_ , so _wrong_ , pinned under two such ferocious, raging pairs of eyes.

"What are you _doing_ here?" Leo demanded, anger faltering in the midst of shock and confusion, but still enough to sharpen his words to a painful degree.

She knew he didn't mean to sound so harsh, so frightening- his expression was already losing the fierce scowl he'd opened the door with- and that the cruelty of it was just a side effect from anger directed not at herself, but she couldn't help it. She couldn't handle it, completely unprepared as she was.

Her flight or fight response kicked in.

She bolted.

* * *

"I'm just saying, shouldn't we wait for Liza first?" Donny huffed out an exasperated sigh, holding the cookie container higher as his brother clawed for it.

"But she said I could have one at the lair! And we're here!" Mikey whined, pawing desperately in vain attempts to reach his prize.

"No, _you're_ here. Where's Liza?"

As if in answer, the door whipped open and slammed shut, making both brothers jump and giving Mikey the opportunity to finally swipe the box back.

"Oh! Liza, there you-" Donny cut off, eyes widening. " _Liza_?"

"Are you okay?" Mikey stiffened, alarm flashing across his face.

Liza was pressed against the door, her eyes huge and frightened, breathing hard. At their voices, she flinched and jerked her head up, staring at them fearfully as her body trembled.

"Liza, what happened?" Mikey was by her side in an instant, cookies forgotten and arms opened wide and wrapping around her. She welcomed his embrace, clutching at him tightly and burying her face into his shoulder. "I've got you, it's okay, Mikey's got you…" he soothed, worried and confused and trying to calm her with gentle pets.

"Liza," Donny was just a step behind Mikey, a hand outstretched and just barely brushing along her arm. "What're wrong? What happened?"

She mumbled something and, even muffled, both could hear how thick and choked her voice was.

"What?" Mikey ducked his head to listen more closely, eyes narrowing in concentration. After a moment, he turned to Donny, "She just said, 'I'm sorry, I'm making a huge deal out of this, I can't help it.' At least, I think that's what she said."

"A big deal out of what, Liza?" Donny asked gently, giving her arm a firmer stroke.

Knocking suddenly echoed from the door. "Donny? Is Liza there?" Leo's muffled voice filtered through during the pause between knocks. "We just want to talk, that's all!"

Liza's head snapped up in horror, and she turned a desperately pleading stare on the purple clad ninja. His fists clenched at the tears pooling in her eyes and he brushed past Mikey to sharply open the door, making his older brothers jump back enough to step out and shove it closed behind him.

" _What happened_?" He demanded, a hiss sneaking into his tone. "Liza is _panicking-_ what did you two do?"

"Nothing!" Leo's hands raised in defense. "She startled us- we were heading to the dojo and she was just... _there_!" He gestured helplessly, looking rather stressed.

"We didn't mean to scare her, we just-" Raph huffed. "-we weren't expecting it!"

"Did you know she was here?" Leo asked, running a hand over his face.

"Not until a few minutes ago when Mikey burst into my lab." Donny pinched the bridge of his snout, his other hand resting on his hip. "He said that Liza was coming over, that she wanted to make up for yesterday. I just assumed you'd okayed it."

"For the love of-" Raph slapped a hand to his face angrily.

"No. I didn't." Leo dropped his head into his hands, then looked heavenward with a tired expression. "I should've been paying more attention-"

"Yes! You should've! Instead of continuing this argument with Raph! Didn't Splinter talk to you about this?!" Donny fumed.

"Yes, but-"

"I don't want to hear it! Liza's too frightened to deal with you two right now, but you _will_ be apologizing later!" He growled, turning and yanking the door open.

"Donny, I-"**

He slammed it shut on Leo's protest. Donny had to take a moment to take in a long breath, hand still clenched on the handle, trying to quell the irritation still burning in his chest. Letting it out, he turned to the duo still in the lab and tensed.

Liza looked up at him, mid motion of brushing away the tears as Mikey gently held onto her shoulders. At seeing his expression, she hurriedly swiped the last of them away, scrubbing at her face as if to hide the evidence. "No, no, it's okay!" She rasped, clearing her throat when she heard how scratchy it'd gotten. "I'm fine, it's just a- a side effect!"

"A 'side-effect'?" He repeated lowly, walking closer.

"I always cry when I get yelled at." She flushed in shame, looking away from both brothers and wrapping her arms around herself. ""I can't help it."

"Who could yell at a sweet little thing like you?" Mikey cooed as he cupped her face and nuzzled his snout against her nose.

She chuckled at the affection, but her smile was quiet and aching. "You'd be surprised." She murmured, gently taking his hands from her cheeks to hold them in hers, not noticing the way Donny's expression tightened.

Her smile faded into a grimace and her eyes drooped half lidded with guilt. "I'm so sorry. I came here to make things right, but...all I did was cause another fight…"

"No, Liza, it wasn't your fault!" Mikey protested, nudging her chin up so she would face him again. "It was mine for not telling anyone- I got so excited, I just forgot! It was me, not you!"

"Mikey…" She started to lean away, a familiar skittish gleam in her eyes.

"Please stay!" He clasped her hands tightly in his and brought them to his chest, making his expression as pleading as possible. "I promised things would go better this time, and they will! Stay, and we'll- we'll play games and eat cookies or watch a movie or something! I promise!"

Liza stared at him helplessly, glancing back at the door and pressing her lips together as her expression warred between guilt and worry and regret. She took in a breath and let out a sigh, turning back to Mikey with a small smile spreading over her lips. "Okay, Mikey." She said softly. "If you insist."

His face brightened into a massive grin of relief and he pulled her into a quick hug. "YES! Thank you! It's gonna be great, I promise! I'll go get the games and everything- wait here!" He squeezed her one last time and then released her to go eagerly bounding out of the room.

Donny waited until he was out of earshot before turning to the brunette, who was pulling up a stray chair. "Liza, about what you said-"

"Not tonight, Donny. Please." She whispered, slumping in the seat and resting her forehead on her hand as she leaned against a nearby counter. Her eyes tiredly slid closed. "I don't want to rain on his parade."

He closed his mouth, sighing.

They waited for Mikey in silence.

* * *

Liza sighed as she pulled the covers back, light already off and moonbeams shining softly through her curtained windows.

It had actually been a nice evening. Mikey lived up to his promise- she'd enjoyed playing Uno with him and Donny, all three snacking on her gift of cookies mid-turn. Donny had kindly kept silent and didn't let on that he was suspicious about anything, and Liza had both returned and appreciated the gesture. Thanks to that, the previous dismal mood was slowly washed away with the fun of the game.

She had, of course, made certain to wring promises from the two of them that they would save at least four cookies for their absent brothers. (This was met with grudging acceptance and she laughed when Mikey pulled his share closer, as if she would dare to take from it.)

When it had been time to head home, she gave Mikey an extra warm hug for all his efforts and thanked him for a lovely evening. She had tentatively glanced at Donny and offered a shy smile and a wave, which he returned with a nod and a smile of his own, but his gaze was somber.

It made her thankful Mikey was the one taking her home.

She'd given her parents a tired explanation of what had happened, leaving out the incident, of course, and glossing over the sad parts- "It was fun. Raph and Leo didn't feel up to saying hello, sadly, but Donny and Mikey played cards with me. Oh, and they really liked the cookies. Didn't I tell you this in my texts?"

Nudging her pillow into place, she picked up the sketchbook hidden beneath. It really was a terrible hiding spot, but it was easily accessible. She needed to draw, needed to let the anxiety bleed out of her fingertips and stain the paper instead of her heart.

But the second she grabbed the pencil lodged in the sketchbook's spiral spine, a knock at the window startled her into dropping both. She hurried to peek through the curtains and pull the window open, door already shut, and froze.

"Leo?"

* * *

 **FF: **Interesting bit of trivia. Y'know what Leo was about to say? "I didn't mean to."**


	25. Surprise Visitor

**FF: SURPRISE! EARLY UPDATE! No reviews to answer this week!**

 **FF: Poor Liza. Two bad days in a row and now a surprise visit from Leo! Wonder how this is gonna go...**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR**

"What are you doing here?" Liza stammered, eyes wide in shock and her hand frozen in the midst of brushing the curtain back. "Is everything okay?"

"Mind joining me up here?" Leonardo simply straightened, and elegantly gestured to the fire escape.

"Oh, uh, sure." She blinked, trying to wrap her mind around this entirely unexpected situation. Shoving the window up a bit more, she clambered out as best she could and stood beside him as he leaned on the metal railing and looked out over her neighborhood.

She didn't understand. Why would Leo be outside her window when he'd never visited her before, not to mention what a disaster today had been? Just the memory of how she'd run away from him was enough to tie her stomach into knots and warm her cheeks.

She glanced to him nervously, then looked over the buildings. What should she say? Was she supposed to be saying something? Did she wait for him to speak? Just as she'd had enough of the awkward atmosphere slowly suffocating her, was just opening her mouth to ask him what he wanted to do, he spoke.

"I came to apologize."

Her question died in her throat and left her staring at him, mouth hanging open a little. "I...what?"

"I came to apologize." He repeated, and strangely enough there was no coolness or indifference in his voice. Just a quiet honesty that soothed some of her anxiety, and an awkward note of guilt. "I didn't mean to snap at you before. It was uncalled for and unfair to you."

She blinked, feeling her expression soften at the genuine words. "It's-...apology accepted." She said after a stunned moment, shaking her head softly in wonder. "Did you come all this way, just to apologize to me?"

He let out a breath through his nose and looked at the ground, so far below them. "For...more than one thing." He straightened and turned to face her fully, revealing the uncomfortable twist to his expression. "I've been rather cold to you. Enough to the point that _everyone's_ noticed, and it's been...causing some friction."

Liza's eyes slid to the ground, and one arms wrapped around her middle. "I'm sure you had your reasons." She murmured gently. A part of her saddened at the knowledge that the coolness _had_ been intended towards her, but another warmed at the fact he was apologizing for it.

Lost in thought about her emotions, she missed his wince.

"Yes, I did. But I've been thinking lately, and...well...maybe my reasons weren't so good." He admitted, glancing away and curling his hands into fists restlessly.

She blinked, startled and faintly awed at the admission.

"I just...we knew next to nothing about you! Even when we- my brothers- visited you all those months you never really talked about yourself, or at least, nothing really important about yourself and given the list of enemies we have it just seemed suspicious!" He ran a hand over his face as he explained, his voice speeding up and getting more stressed the longer he talked. "And then we looked up your files but didn't find anything too suspicious so I thought it would be okay, but then you kept evading and my guard went back up and-"

He cut himself off with a huff, letting his hand cover half his face.

Liza waited patiently through the quiet as he ordered his thoughts, heart softening at the confliction in his voice.

"I didn't mean to act so cold, Liza." He finally said tiredly. "I was suspicious and...I just…"

"You just wanted to protect your family." Liza murmured gently. She wanted to reach out to him, to gently touch his arm in a gesture of comfort, to soothe that guilt on his face. Her hand stayed by her side, afraid of rejection. "I understand."

"That doesn't make it right." He sighed, then looked her directly in the eye. "I'm sorry, Liza. Truly."

She smiled, hoping he could hear the warmth and encouragement in her voice. "It's okay, Leo. I forgive you."

He blinked. "...just like that?"

A faint laugh bubbled out of her chest at his incredulity. "Like what?" She asked, shaking her head faintly.

"April didn't react _near_ as well as you did..." The blue clad leader shook his head, eyeridges raised in surprise or relief.

"Oh dear…!" Liza couldn't help the few giggles and covered her mouth to try and hide her smile.

To her pleasant surprise, Leo chuckled with her, and they returned their gazes to the city, leaning on the railing in comfortable silence when the gentle laughter faded away.

"Really though, I am sorry, Liza." He said after a moment.

"It's okay." She smiled at him again, appreciating the sincerity in his voice, then paused. "...what changed your mind? About me that is?"

"A number of things, mainly Splinter knocking some sense into me- oh, and my brothers singing your praises." He added dryly, a faintly irritated look on his face that made her laugh.

"You're messing with me." She giggled. "They didn't sing my praises."

"Uh, I'm pretty sure they did. I was there." He snorted.

She laughed again and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right."

Leo turned his head to look at her. "Why is that so hard to believe?"

"Because it's- it's _me_!" At his confused look, she explained, turning her gaze to the city and then to the ground, her mirth fading. "I don't...I'm not the kind of person that leaves an impression. I'm just...there, until something or someone new comes along and then I just….fade out. It's always been like that."

"Haven't you ever had a best friend or something?" He asked incredulously.

Liza didn't look at him, keeping her eyes on the buildings before them as her gaze distanced. "...that was Lyska." She admitted softly.

"Oh…" Leo went quiet, glancing away as he absorbed the implications. "...Well," He said after a moment. "You're not going to fade out of our lives anytime soon. Amazingly enough, you've managed to glom on with no sign of letting go."

She huffed out a startled laugh. "I'm sorry?"

"There's no need to apologize, Liza." He rolled his eyes. "You don't always have to say sorry for everything, you know."

Liza smiled thinly. "I know." At least, now she did. It'd been a hard lesson to realize, and even harder to try and learn. "You don't have to either."

It was out before she realized it, and the second it registered out loud she wished she could take it back. What was with her blurting out things that should've been kept silent?

"What do you mean?" He asked, confused and wary.

She fiddled with her hands. "Mi-...your brothers sometimes tell me about your missions. It...seems to be a bit of theme that you...blame yourself for any mistakes, regardless of who made them."

"I'm the leader." His voice turned firm and professional, posture straightening stiffly. "Any mistakes _are_ my fault- they come from my decisions."

Liza fell silent, her heart both quavering and breaking at his tone, in anxiety and empathy. "Well," she whispered. "I know this is rather forwards of me, considering our...troubles, before, but…" She looked tentatively to him, trying to convey her sincerity in voice and expression. "If- if you ever need to talk or...vent or anything….I'm here."

Leo stared at her a moment, then laughed softly and pushed himself up from the railing. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'm good." His voice was light, but the refusal left Liza sighing at the brief flicker of pain in her chest. "I should be getting back to the lair."

"Yes. Right." She nodded, pushing off from the railing as well to stand awkwardly beside him. "Um, get home safe, yeah?"

Leo spared her a brief smile and gave a nod. "Goodnight, Liza."

She didn't have time respond before he was on the next rooftop and racing for the next, merely a silhouette fading into the distance. He didn't look back.

Liza watched until he disappeared from sight, then slipped inside and reached for her sketchbook.

* * *

 _Elsewhere…_

"Get away from me!" A blonde girl, ragged and furious, snarled and clenched her fists. "I don't want to join your stupid gang!"

The man standing casually before her smiled slightly, looking far too out of place with his suit and tie in the run down alley he'd tried to corner her in. "We're much more than a gang, miss. With your skills, you'd be a valuable addition to-"

"I don't care! Leave me alone and _BACK OFF_!" She interrupted sharply, spinning around and vaulting the fence the man had assumed penned her in. It was bad to leave one's back turned to an enemy, but she wanted out of there. This kind of man gave off something that screamed ' _danger'_ to her.

The second she hit the ground, she took off as fast as she could, backpack pounding against her spine with every slap of her shoes against concrete. She ran for a good long while, taking numerous twists and turns and shortcuts and back alleys, then stopped to listen for pursuit, one hand ready to draw the knife strapped to her belt.

She curled her lip and growled under her breath, not trusting the silence.

What was _with_ those guys? That was the second time she'd been approached in the last month or so. Why did they want her to join so badly? Were they so desperate for members they'd try harassing homeless people? She needed to move.

She stormed into her makeshift home and shoved everything she had into her backpack. It didn't take long, it wasn't like she had much to begin with.

Two minutes later there wasn't a sign she'd ever been there.

* * *

 **FF: Hooray! Now maybe Leo and Liza can be friends! Right? Right...? And who's that? Why is she here? (I told you Roxygirl that she'd show up! Sorry she didn't stay longer though, she's got some things to do :/ *shrug*)**


	26. Reluctant Confession

**FF: guys help I'm starting to rewrite my rewrite XD so much editing...so much...  
**

 **Roxygirl: Aww, it's okay, I understand :) Haha, don't hate Leo too much! He's getting better! Aww, thank you! Giving cookies for a _second_ time- you spoil me :D AH YOU'RE FREE! HOORAY! Try not to hurt them too much, they have good intentions! XD**

 **FF: So Leo and Liza are (sorta) good and there's a strange girl running around. I wonder how she fits in... In the meantime, some important stuff gets revealed here. Some important, sad stuff...**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE**

"Hey."

" _What the_ -?!" Liza jolted, pencil leaving a jagged scratch mark across the page, directly across the sketch she'd been attempting to create. "Ohhh...!" She mourned, staring at the sketchbook in dismay.

"Sorry, sorry!" Donny winced from where he was leaning through her window. "Didn't mean to scare you."

"It's fine." She sighed, brushing her hair back and resigning to the drawing's loss.

It had been a week or so since she and Leo had made peace and things were...better? Was that the word for it? She didn't quite know.

With Raph everything was fine- she'd been invited over the next day and he'd shuffled up to her and did his best to explain and apologize. She'd taken mercy on his frustrated fumbling over words and half formed apologies and assured him that all was forgiven, and they'd spent some quiet time together flicking through channels on the tv's.

Even the Splinter situation had been cleared up. He'd appeared just as the third episode of whatever show she and Raph had landed on ended- they were snarking about the show and pointing out inconsistencies more than actually watching it- and asked to talk with her. Said talk consisted mainly of him telling her that he was quite pleased to have met her and he would love if she would indulge him in a weekly chat together.

She'd smiled and agreed, but worried about how it would go before she'd even finished talking. She didn't really have a grasp on his personality, a fact that made her skittish around him, and she fretted about it nearly every night. Now, with only two days to go before the first meeting, her worry only increased.

But with Leo…

Well, he wasn't cold to her anymore. That was definitely a plus! But it was awkward between them. He had no idea how to respond to her tentative attempts at conversation, nor her to his, both unsure about what could be safe topics between them, so they were often left in uncomfortable quiet before one of them beat a hasty retreat with a weak excuse. It seemed to be growing into a 'I ignore you, you ignore me' relationship and, despite the absence of hostility, it still pained Liza at her inability to connect with him.

But she preferred even that to meeting up with Donny.

All week he'd been trying to catch her alone and she, knowing what he wanted to talk about, had been spending all week trying to avoid him. It was hard to believe that she'd managed to wiggle her way out of it every time, whether by using an ironclad excuse about the fact that she was already busy doing something or that she'd promised to show Mikey her cookie recipe, etc.

She just hadn't been expecting Donny to pop up at her window at 2:31 AM.

"What are you doing here?" She whispered, glancing to make sure her door was shut as she closed her sketchbook. "I thought you guys finish patrol earlier than this."

"We do. We just were a little late and I wanted to check on you when I saw your light was on." He gestured to her lamp providing a gentle glow and then gave her a concerned look. "Is everything okay?"

Liza paused mid motion of slipping her sketchbook beneath her pillow. "I, uh...I had a nightmare." She admitted, rubbing her thumb along the spiral spine as she stared down at the cover. "I needed to draw…. _something_. Just to get it all out."

His expression pinched. "That bad, huh?"

She didn't answer, just looked away. She hated the silence that was tantamount to an admission, but couldn't bring herself to say the lie that she was fine. It _had_ been a bad one, and she was grateful he was too far away to see the redness to her eyes.

"Hey..." When her gaze reluctantly slid up to meet his, he smiled gently and held out a hand. "C'mon up here."

She stared at his hand a moment, debating. She didn't want to burden him with a simple nightmare, nor did she want the risk that he'd find a way to ask more about her medical records.

But she also didn't want to be alone.

So, with a silent sigh, she got up and tentatively placed her hand in his, mildly surprised and flattered at the warm squeeze he gave her. Even after so long, she was still skittish with initiating contact with him, unlike with Mikey or Raph, but his gentle acceptance and reciprocation was slowly building her confidence.

She smiled shyly as he helped her through the window, steadying her as she climbed to her feet. "Thank you." She murmured, blushing lightly at another squeeze. What was it like, to be so confident with touch?

"No problem." He smiled back and let her hand slide from his.

It felt awkward to have her hand dangling by her side, empty, so she turned to the city and rested her forearms on the fire escape's railing. After a moment, she heard him join her.

"Do you...want to talk about it?" He offered gently.

She pressed her lips together and looked to the ground. "Sort of. It's...it's the kind of thing where you want to, but you'd never manage to describe it right."

"Ah." He hummed knowingly and nodded.

Liza paused, scrunching her brows together as she thought. "It was...a memory. Sort of. Like, it felt like a memory, it was one, but...not?" She said haltingly. "Kinda like...a twisted memory. One that was...altered, I guess. Like, parts were added that weren't originally there."

"What memory was it?" He asked.

Like she would ever say.

"...a bad one." She answered quietly, then abruptly stiffened as something clicked. "Two memories! That's it, it was like two memories jammed together! Two...very….very bad memories..." Her voice had brightened in triumph at her realization, but then faltered as she continued to speak until it barely a whisper.

One part had been when she'd been trapped and tortured by the Purple Dragons. Another, a memory far older than that. She hoped he'd never ask about either. She never wanted to think about them ever again, and, if it weren't for the nightmares, she'd probably have succeeded by now.

Lost in thought, she jumped when he touched her forearm, but quickly relaxed under the comforting squeeze he gave her.

"It's okay if you don't want to tell me any more, Liza." Donny's eyes were tight with sympathy when she looked to him and his tone was caring. "I know it's hard for you."

She smiled softly and slid her arm from his hand enough that she could hold it in her own and somehow manage to link their fingers together. "Thank you, Donny." She whispered, dropping her gaze to their hands.

Another gentle squeeze, and the two looked out to the city in comfortable, warm silence.

"...I feel I have to tell you I had an ulterior motive for stopping by." Donny said after a few minutes. "Not just to ask how you were doing- though that was a big part of it!" He hastily added, bringing a faint smile to the brunette's face.

"I think I can guess what it is." Liza's eyes drooped half lidded as she looked at the ground below them. "My medical records."

"I checked them again. You didn't fall out of a tree." His voice hardened a moment, a mixture of hurt and anger flickering there.

His grip on her hand felt wrong now. Like she didn't deserve it. Her heart twisted at his tone and her eyes closed under the gaze she could feel burning into her skin.

"Sorry." He let out a breath, voice quieting. "Now's not the time to ask."

"...what does it matter, Donny?" She asked softly. "What relevance does any of it have now? How could it possibly affect you?"

"'Affect _me'_?" He repeated incredulously, abruptly stiffening under her fingers. "Liza, I'm not asking for _me_."

She blinked her eyes open and turned to him, confused. "I don't understand…"

"Liza," His grip on her hand tightened and his eyes turned serious. "I'm not asking because I'm curious or I think something from your past is suddenly gonna rear its head and come after us. I'm asking because I'm _worried_ about you. I _care_ about you."

She held his gaze, expression slackening in disbelief, vulnerability, awe that she couldn't hide, until she could bear it no longer and looked away.

"Liza...I just want to make sure you're okay." He insisted softly, painfully tender. He hadn't let go of her hand.

"I'm fi-…." She couldn't make it halfway through the automatic response; it died it in her throat and left her searching for words that wouldn't come. After a moment of silence, she finally rasped, "I never said I fell out of a tree."

He blinked. "...what?"

"I never said I fell out of a tree. I implied it. I used it as an example."

"I know that now. When I checked your records they said you fell down the stairs." He said quietly. A moment of silence passed. "...did you?"

"I did." She swallowed, braced herself. "Right after mom hit me."

Donny sucked in a sharp breath and his grip on her hand tightened even further, but it didn't hurt. "...what happened?"

She could hear the silent 'I was right' in the pause before he spoke, and she held on a little firmer, willing herself to stay strong. "Mom couldn't control her temper very well. And once Lyska was gone…" Her voice broke and she had to take a moment to breathe, and force it to stabilize. "...I was the only target left."

There was a moment of silence and Liza closed her eyes, not wanting to see his expression. She only opened them again when he whispered, "...How long?"

"The mental abuse or physical?" She asked softly. "In total, up until I was fifteen. The physical abuse only started after Lyska ran away."

It was strange. She'd been so terrified of telling him, telling anyone. She'd always pictured the explanation with her in tears and emotions dripping everywhere in a goopy mess. But despite a tension in her gut at his reaction, the more she talked, the more she felt….nothing. Just a strange distance from the situation, like she was talking about someone else.

Donny didn't say anything, but she could picture his expression. Horrorstruck. Disbelieving. Shocked. Pained.

The tension leaned more towards sickening.

"She hadn't meant to make me fall, she just hit me wrong and I slipped." Her heart abruptly seized with panic and she turned to him, clasping his hand desperately in both of hers. "Please don't hate her!"

" _What_?" He blinked and shook his head in disbelief, a hint of a growl on his lips.

"Mom-...she was in a bad place for a very long time. She'd been abused too- it was common in her family, she didn't know any other way! And a lot of time has passed, she's gotten better! She went to anger management, had a therapist, we told dad, talked it out- she's really gotten so much better!"

"'Told dad'...?" He echoed, overwhelmed at the rush of words and everything they meant.

Liza's expression twisted in pain and guilt, and she looked down at their hands instead of his face. "...we kept it a secret. I mean, at first, Lys and I would tell dad every time there was a fight with mom but….he started getting so sad... and nothing really seemed to change or come of it but him getting more and more tired, so we just….stopped."

"Even when Lyska was gone and you were getting-..." He cut himself off. It was hard enough to have the horrific mental image of Liza being harmed at the hands of someone who was supposed to care for and protect her- he couldn't bring himself to say it out loud.

She met his gaze again, a desperate plea. "He was already so _tired_. Lyska's leaving hurt him so _much_ I...I couldn't bear to add onto it. He had enough to deal with."

"Liza, stop, just- wait." Donny pressed a hand to his face and had to focus on breathing for a few seconds to control the anger simmering dangerously in his chest. "You're telling me...that you were emotionally and mentally abused for most of your life- by your _mother_ \- suffered the loss of your _sister_ , and, on top of it all, kept the abuse a _secret_ from your _father_?" He hadn't meant to, but his voice raised, the fury leaking into his tone and making it harsher than he intended.

Liza's expression _dropped_ , her mouth opening slightly and no sound coming out. Her hands slipped from his as her stunned, hurt eyes tore from his. "It sounds so stupid when you say it like that…" She whispered brokenly, wrapping her arms about her middle.

It did. How stupid she had been indeed. Why hadn't she gotten help? Why hadn't she told her father? Why hadn't she spoken out? Whatever reasons she'd had weren't good enough. That much was obvious, now.

She bit her lip as tears welled at the pain in her chest.

This was a mistake. Why had she told Donny? Why had she thought for a second that this was a good idea? Now he was angry at her and knew how incredibly, _astronomically stupid_ she was-

"Liza, no- just-" He let out a rough breath and suddenly she was pressed against his chest with arms tightly wrapped around her.

She gasped, chin on his shoulder and hands fluttering uselessly in the air as her eyes widened in shock. She stayed frozen for only a split second before her arms instinctively responded and tentatively slipped around his middle.

She didn't know what to do. Why was he hugging her if he was angry at her?

"I-it's okay…" She whispered nervously. He was shaking- or was that her? "I'm here, it's oka-"

"Don't you _dare_ say 'it's okay' again." He growled darkly, making her gasp again. She'd never heard him growl like that before- maybe some annoyed grumbling at his brothers' antics, but not the dark, dangerous sound he'd just made. It reminded her that he was indeed a fully trained ninja, capable of frightening things.

His fierce grip on her relaxed at the sharp inhale and he pulled back a little, letting his hands slide over her until he could gently hold onto her shoulders. A part of her brain marveled that he hadn't left a single bruise despite the tightness of his hug.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have grabbed you, I just…" He shook his head and, when he lifted his gaze to meet hers, she could feel her heart bleed for him. He looked so... _expressive_. Pain, worry, shock, pity, sympathy, amazement, incredulity- she'd never seen so many mixed and muddled emotions on any other face but her own. "You are a very special person, Liza Michaels."

"Not really…" She whispered, entranced at the raw openness he was willingly showing her.

"Liza." His eyes tightened and his head dipped a little closer to hers. "You most definitely ar-"

A peppy beeping abruptly split the air, making them jolt and skitter apart.

Donny hissed something under his breath as he shoved a hand into his belt and yanked out his shellcell, stabbing a button fiercely. " _What_?" he demanded, bringing the phone to his ear. His eyes widened and his scowl froze. "I'll be right there."

"What is it? What's wrong?" Liza asked, alarmed by his serious expression. Her heart nearly stopped when he spoke.

"There was an ambush. I need to get home immediately."

* * *

 **FF: ...well SHOOT, that ain't good.**


	27. Worry and Arguments

**FF: AUGH SO MUCH EDITING WHY (i'm serious guys, I'm starting to REWRITE MY REWRITE HELP ME)**

 **Roxygirl: *giggles* don't be too mean to them, okay? XD (pfft Splinter, you're so cool) Awww, I'm so glad you think so! (Donnie: What?! I- no! No, we're just friends!) Either way, this is a nice base for something more, isn't it~? (Donnie: STOP INSINUATING THINGS!)**

 **FF: Poor Liza, she needs a hug. And poor guys! Do you think they're okay?!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY SIX**

She'd tried to wait up for him, for any communication, anything that would mean that they were okay. She'd spent the anxious hours drawing, erasing the too shaky lines, redrawing the crooked ones, and attempting to convince herself that everything would be okay.

They'd been through this before. They'd been attacked before and come out on top. They'd even stormed a gang's hideout to save her and survived- easily! This wasn't even to mention all their battles before she'd even come into their lives. Of course they would be fine, why should this time be any different?

…..right?

Even with nerves twisting her stomach and the maddeningly spiralistic pattern to her thoughts that made it impossible to think straight, she'd passed out around 5 AM, clutching her pencil and sprawled awkwardly across her bed- half upright and half not.

She'd only managed two hours of uncomfortable sleep until her alarm woke her, as well as a backache that stubbornly refused to go away. What made it worse was that there was no sign that Donatello had come back to give her an update.

She should have expected it- I mean, he _left_ at 2 AM, almost 3. What time could he have to care for his brothers and still come back before sunrise? But...couldn't he have sent her a text? Just one to say that everyone was alright.

She'd groggily checked her phone as she dragged herself upright and started putting away her pencil and sketchbook, only to stare worriedly at the empty inbox. It took her a minute or two to gather herself and prepare for the day, keeping her phone close by just in case.

She made breakfast for herself, her mother and father already at work, and then put her dishes into the sink. She checked the laundry hamper and threw a load into the wash. She did her routine of exercises picked up from physical therapy. Reluctantly, she booted up her laptop and began her day's lessons.

Since she'd missed too much school- her senior year was supposed to be over by now- she was forced to rely on online classes to finally obtain a diploma. It would only be for a few months, if she could keep up- getting kidnapped and traumatized made it rather difficult to retain information she just didn't really care about. But she'd made it a month already and wasn't doing too badly, so there was that.

Donny would be doing way better, though, he'd be top of the class-

She stiffened, dread snaking its way through her chest at the idle thought and what it reminded her of.

 _No. Don't think about it._ She told herself firmly, trying to refocus her attention on the English portion of her studies. _They'll be fine, they always are. They'll be perfectly fine. There is_ no _need to worry._

She kept her phone closer, clutching it in one hand.

The rest of the day passed much the same- make lunch, eat, put dishes in sink, finish studies for the day, transfer load into the dryer, paint a little bit, attempt to read a book, get frustrated, tidy up her room a little, greet her mom and dad when they came home- all done with worry and fear coiling inside her stomach like a poison.

By the time 10 o'clock had rolled around, Liza was conked out on her bed again, exhausted from keeping up a cheerful facade for her parents and the effort of distracting herself by doing as much as she possibly could to keep her mind off the worry. She hadn't even made it under the covers, sleeping atop her closed sketchbook whose metal coil would leave imprints on her ribcage.

She woke slowly, groggily to a quiet but insistent tapping sound. She glanced blearily around the darkened room, and her gaze landed on the shadows flickering in the moonlight streaming across her floor. She blinked and glanced to the window. Squinted a moment.

She then almost violently scrambled off the bed and threw the window up, shoving her head and shoulders out and slipping in her desperate attempt to climb out.

"Donny!" She gasped, grabbing his outstretched hand eagerly as he mercifully helped her through. The second she was on stable ground, she grabbed onto his shoulders and went on her tiptoes as if the added height would let her see the answers she wanted. "What happened? Is everyone okay?!"

"Liza, _easy_! Relax…" He eased her back down, hands resting on her waist to make sure she didn't spring back up as he smiled tiredly. "Yes, everyone's fine. A little battered, maybe, but nothing some bandages and rest won't fix."

" _Oh_ , thank goodness..." She let her head dip forwards in relief, just shy of touching his plastron. "When no one texted or called I got so _worried…_ "

He winced. "Sorry, Liza. I…had a lot on my mind."

"I can imagine." She shook her head and smiled wryly at him, chuckling softly.

"Liza, I….I know this might not be a good time, but I came to talk to you. Not just to give you an update- about...what we talked about last night." Donny said, hesitating at the last part and eyeing her worriedly.

She blinked, eyes widening a little at the subject change. "Oh. Oh..." She looked down, stepping back nervously and almost jumping when his hands slipped from her waist. She hadn't noticed they were there in the first place.

"What do you want to talk about?" She asked cautiously.

He took in a breath for courage and looked her in the eye, voice and gaze gentle. "I think you should tell the others."

"No." The word blurted out of her mouth before she could even process it. "Sorry, no, I mean, I- I don't know. I…" She sighed, pressing a hand to her head as she forced her thoughts to organize. "...Donny, I...I don't see what it would do. I don't want to...to…"

"Liza, it's not about doing something." He tried to catch her eye again, but she flicked her gaze to the floor. "Don't they deserve to know? Wouldn't it help to talk about it?"

"Donny, please, I can't...this would…" She bit her lip and looked to the sky, trying to repress the frustration at her inability to explain. "I can't burden them with this."

"It's not a burden-"

"That's not true, Donny, and you know it." Liza finally met his gaze, sad and pained, arms wrapping around herself. "Can you honestly say that, knowing what you do, it's brought anything but worry?"

He stared at her, mouth working as he searched for the words, any words, to provide an argument.

"See?" She asked after a moment of silence, voice quiet with guilt and eyes softening in long accepted resignation. "How could I do that to them?"

"Liza…" Donny sighed and shook his head. "Yes, I'm worried. But something like this isn't something you can just _ignore_ and pretend it's okay."

She heard the faint accusation in his voice and looked at the ground, silently acknowledging his point. He was right- it was how she'd made a smile appear on her face all those years, pretending everything was fine and that her heart wasn't breaking daily.

But no one really deserved to have this kind of pain plaguing their mind. She couldn't bring herself to burden them with such hurtful knowledge. Wouldn't it be better, if they never knew and kept believing things were fine in blissful ignorance? Would that be such a horrible existence?

She blinked, startled from her thoughts, when Donny's hand gently touched her chin and guided her to face him. It took a moment, but she reluctantly lifted her eyes to meet his.

"But it's helping me _understand_ , Liza." He murmured earnestly, achingly soft. "It tells me so much about you that I never knew, and it's helping me _understand you_. You can't deny them a chance to understand, can you?"

Her eyes widened. How dare he. How dare he turn this around and force her to consider yet another side to this. How dare he use her affection for them against her.

But her mind had already latched on and thoughtfully turned it over in her head.

He made sense. It would help them understand her better. It would help them know her more. Wouldn't that help? Maybe it could let them get closer. Maybe even with Leo. Isn't that what she wanted?

Her lids lowered and her eyes dimmed.

What she wanted.

…...was she really so selfish as to let the benefits to herself outweigh the burden she'd put upon them?

"...what's better, Donny?" Liza asked softly, closing her eyes. "Knowing and hurting, or not knowing and not hurting?"

"Shouldn't you let them decide for themselves?" He countered gently, his hand moving to touch her shoulder.

"Decide what?"

The duo jumped, Liza letting out a breathless gasp and Donny automatically reaching for his bo, before they recognized the figure leaping down beside them.

"Raph?!" Donny gaped as his brother approached, eyes quickly narrowing into a glare.

"Raph!" Liza's exclamation was vastly more joyful than Donny's, and she flung her arms around the red clad ninja in relief.

He laughed, catching her easily and wrapping an arm around her back to squeeze in return. "Hey Liza. Miss me?"

" _Oh_ , are you alright? I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have jumped at you- did I hurt you?" She fussed, pulling back and fluttering her hands worriedly over the numerous bandages and bruises decorating his body.

"I told you to stay home, Raph!" Donny scolded. "Your injuries-"

"I'm fine, Liza, don't worry." Raph ignored his brother, smirking and affectionately ruffling the brunette's hair. "How many times do I have to tell you? Takes more than a few goons to take me down."

"Are you sure?" She insisted, ducking away from his hand with a smile and catching it in hers. "I was so worried…"

Raph's smirk softened at the soulful, concerned look she was giving him and he squeezed her hand. "I'm fine. Promise."

"I told you to stay home." Donny growled, irritated and smacking his brother's arm in reprimand.

"And I told you 'no way'." Raph shot back smugly, refusing to wince. "So what were you two talking about? Looked pretty serious."

Liza suddenly lost the ability to look him in the eye. "Oh, it was nothing."

"You're a terrible liar."

"I'm not lying! It's really not important-"

"Liza, you know that's not true!" Donny interrupted, looking incredulous and offended.

"It _isn't_ important!" She insisted firmly, fixing him with a determined look. "If we could just forget about i-"

"No, we are _not_ just ' _forgetting_ about it'!"

Raph stared at his brother, startled at the heat in his voice. He was even more stunned when, instead of flinching away or cowering under the raised voice, Liza glared right back and said darkly, "It's. Not. Important."

"Guys, what are you talking about?!" Raph interrupted Donny's snapped response, stepping between the two and alternating glares between them.

"Go on, Liza, tell him." Donny hissed, straightening and crossing his arms defiantly.

Liza's eyes sharpened into a seething glare that seemed designed to burn a hole through the purple clad ninja- a strange and unnerving sight on the normally gentle brunette that could scarcely say a harsh word about anything.

She opened her mouth, perfectly ready to spit out a cutting retort, knowing it would only worsen the situation but, oh, how she didn't care. She wanted to see the look on Donny's face when meek little Liza finally spoke her mind and-

Her mouth snapped shut and she squeezed her eyes closed, fists clenching tightly.

No.

No, she wouldn't do this. Anger was an addictive drug and she would not let herself be subject to its poison, not when she'd seen the damage it could do.

The memories her thought dragged up sucked away her anger, left her without the burning heat she'd used as an alternative to courage. Her shoulders slumped and the fire in her eyes dimmed, expression smoothing into a worn tiredness that worried Raph far worse than the anger.

"I was abused by my mother." She forced through unwilling lips, her eyes sliding closed. "Donny can fill you in on the rest."

And then she turned to leave.

* * *

 **FF:...well _shoot_ , _Liza_ nearly lost her _temper_. The apocalypse is nigh! D8**


	28. Emotions, Emotions Everywhere

**FF: THERE WILL BE AN IMPORTANT NOTE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CHAPTER!**

 **FF: (*SCREAMS* I FORGOT TODAY WAS MONDAYI'MSOSORRY) Sorry about the delay- I really did try my best to keep up! Terribly sorry :(**

 **I Write When I Am Bored: Hello again! 8D Yeah, too bad the Angry!Liza is an elusive creature that only appears once in a blue moon, I'm sure she has interesting things to say! Well, as for Raph's reaction,this chapter will provide some answers!**

 **Roxygirl: Yup, Angry!Liza be Scary!Liza. Pff, they better let you back in soon! You gotta show'em how awesome you are at training! I'm so glad you liked it! :)**

 **FF: Oh dear, things seem to be going badly...can they turn things around?**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN**

"Wait, _what_?!"

Liza gasped as a hand clamped around her arm and yanked her back around to face Raphael, her eyes wide and mouth dropped open in shock- none of them had ever grabbed her like that before.

"What did you just say?" He demanded, expression a strange mix of wide yet glaring eyes and a snarl on his lips that sent ice down her spine.

Her throat locked- no sound came out, not even air- and her eyes could not possibly get any wider as her hand automatically snapped up to clutch at the one Raph had gripping her bicep, a burst of fear kicking her heart into high gear.

Donny tried to interrupt, alarmed. "Raph-"

"Did you just say that you got _abused_?" The snarl deepened, steamrolling over his brother's protest, and her legs shuddered beneath her. "And then tried to _pass that off_ to Donny?"

" _Raph…_ "

Her choked voice was scarcely more than a whisper, a plea, but Raph blinked as if suddenly realizing what he was doing and instantly dropped her arm, stepping back in shock. His gaze tightened when her hand wrapped protectively around where he'd grabbed her, but what was worse was how she looked at him.

Shocked, hurt….. _afraid…_.

"I'm sorry, I didn't…" He rasped, horrified at himself. He hadn't meant to grab her so tight. He was just so angry at what she'd tried to do, angry that she'd tried to leave after dropping such a revelation- he'd just wanted her to stay, to explain. "...why didn't you tell me? Tell us?"

"How could I do that to you?" She whispered, small shivers still rippling through her body. _It's okay, he let me go, he didn't mean it, it's okay_. She had to keep telling herself that, had to calm down. "Why would I make you sad?"

His jaw clenched; how could she act like he was the victim now, like he needed comfort more than herself? " _Liza…_ " His hands reached for her- he had to fix this, repair the damage he'd done, erase that horrible fear- when he saw her eyes fall, track his movements-

He froze, halfway to reaching her, his heart sinking as he realized too late that touching her now would not help.

But she didn't move. She just….waited. Watched. Why wasn't she flinching away? Why wasn't she trying to step out of range? Why was she just standing there?

"You wouldn't-...I'd never-... _how_ _could-_..." He shook his head faintly, expression twisting in frustration, anger, grief as he pulled his hand back.

Liza's eyes tightened and, to his disbelief, reached out to gently touch his arm. "It's okay." She whispered, staring at him with tentative earnesty and shaky gentleness. "You didn't mean to. It wasn't your fault."

"Don't say that!" His voice came out harsher than he intended, and he flinched just as much as Liza did- jerking back in shock and hurt. He huffed out a sigh and restlessly paced to the railing and back. "Just because I didn't mean to doesn't make it right! And why didn't you fight back, or yell, or-or yank your hand away- I know you can!"

She stared at him, frightened and overwhelmed by the entire situation. It took a second before she could gather the courage speak. "...I can't…" She finally whispered. "I'm...I'm not a fighter, I couldn't..." She trailed off, unable to explain it right, and wrapped her arms around herself tightly.

"But...with your mom…" Donny blinked, confused and already dreading the answer.

Liza glanced up a moment, and her expression was so worn when she dragged her gaze up to his. "...it was better not to." She said, her voice numbed to the cruelty of the admission.

"Why are you so calm about this?!" Raph snarled, turning on Donny abruptly but shooting Liza a sharp glare. "How can you talk about this so- so _casually_?!"

"Raph." Liza didn't shout, but her voice did rise in an effort to grab his attention. When he snapped his eyes onto her, she did her best to meet his gaze steadily, even as her voice wavered. "There's no point in getting upset over this. It happened years ago, it's done. Nothing can be changed...I'm sorry."

Raph stared incredulously. "Are you _kidding_ me? ' _No point in-'_ " He sharply turned away, throwing his hands into the air and stalking to the railing. "I need some air." He growled.

"Raph, wait-!"

He ignored her plea, leaping to the next roof without a backward glance and leaving them behind.

Liza stared after him, the hand that she'd automatically stretched out in a vain attempt to reach him slowly lowering as she watched him vanish from sight. She ducked her head, closing her eyes before the sting of impending tears grew too much. "This is why I didn't want to tell anyone, Donny." She murmured roughly. "Now look at this mess."

"Liza, this isn't your fault." He told her firmly, easily reading the self-blame in between her words. "Raph is just Raph- when he cools down and thinks it through, he'll be fine."

"Will he?" Liza straightened, a fixed look on her face as she stared out at the city. Her voice was that horrible mixture of fake calmness and ice. "Because I won't."

"Liza-"

"I told you I didn't want to tell anyone." She turned to him, eyes narrowed in a smoldering glare, mouth a thin line. "And yet you made me do exactly that. I know you think you're doing the right thing, but did you even _consider_ what I wanted? That I had a good reason? I've thought about this Donny, I made a conscious decision all those months ago to keep this from you guys because I couldn't see any benefit worth this!" She pointed accusingly after Raph.

"Liza, _this-_ " He gestured exasperatedly in the same direction- "is a temporary situation! Raph won't stay angry forever!"

"No." Liza deflated, anger draining away and leaving behind a sad resignation. "But now things will be different."

He paused. "What do you mean?"

She sighed, but it came out as more of a gentle huff. "Isn't that what always happens when some dark secret is revealed? People look at you different. The horror, the _pity_ , the unspoken ' _you poor broken little thing_ ' in every conversation-" She cut herself off, shaking her head sharply. When she spoke again, her voice was thick. "...I didn't want it to happen with you guys…"

"Liza." Donny came up beside her and gently took her shoulders, turning her so that she faced him. "You are not broken."

"Oh, but I am, Donny." She laughed softly and smiled sadly. "I've been broken many times. I just want you to understand that just because I'm broken, it doesn't mean I've given up. I want you to know that I've been living with this for years and I've been doing just fine. There's no need to treat me differently. I'm still me."

"That...is a very good viewpoint to have." He said after a moment, shaking his head with a faint smile.

"I try." She smiled for a moment, but it faded and she sighed. "Donny, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten so upset at you."

"Well, to be fair, you had good reason to be upset." He shrugged, wincing a little.

"That doesn't mean you deserve to be yelled at." Her eyes lowered and she stared at the ground, guilt welling up in her chest.

"Hey." He nudged her chin and smiled when she looked at him. "It's okay. Really. I'm not mad. Admittedly, we both could've handled that better."

"That's an understatement." She chuckled. "...thank you, Donny. I know you were just trying to help, but...it's hard for me to talk about it. I'm not...I'm not good at letting people know how upset or hurt I am. It feels like I bother everyone..."

"You're never a bother." He soothed, pulling her close for a warm embrace.

She hesitated but happily returned the hug, laying her head on his shoulder and tightening her hold on him so that their fronts were pressed together. "Thank you." She murmured.

"Anytime." He squeezed her affectionately, then pulled back. "I should go after Raph before he does something stupid."

"Yeah." Liza nodded, sighing a little. "Tell him I'm sorry, please. I didn't mean t-...y'know..."

"I'll explain everything, okay? Don't worry about it." Donny assured her, patting her shoulder comfortingly.

"Thank you. Again." She placed her hand over his and squeezed gently. "I'm gonna head inside. It's pretty late."

"Yes, right. Sleep well, Liza."

"You too, Donny."

* * *

"So, calmed down yet?" Donny asked, landing gracefully on the rooftop and padding over to his restlessly pacing brother.

Raph shot him a thin glare, the muscles in his crossed arms tensing.

"I'll take that as a maybe." He stopped just out of range and put a hand on his hip. "What's wrong?"

"'What's _wrong'_?" Raph repeated incredulously, turning sharply to face him. "I dunno, maybe the fact that Liza was _abused_ for who knows how long and _never told me_?! Kinda seems like the thing you should share instead of hiding it for no good reason!"

Donny opened his mouth to speak, but Raph cut him off.

"And _you_! How'd _you_ know? Why'd she tell _you_ and no one else? How's _that_ fair?!" He demanded, throwing his hands into the air. "I mean _seriously_?! Why wouldn't she say anything, what if we did something that scared her or something, or triggered a flashback or something?! Just-" He made a frustrated noise and turned away, huffing.

Donny waited a moment to make sure the rant was done before he let his hand slip off his hip, clasping it with his free hand. "...Liza was physically abused from when she was 12 to when she was 15, emotionally since she can remember." He said quietly. "She didn't say anything because she felt it would burden everyone- she only talked to me about it because I found her medical records and figured it out."

"That's…" Raph looked to the ground, searching for words. "That's really messed up."

"Yeah. It is."

"...I didn't mean t-..." He gestured helplessly, unwilling or unable to say what he'd done. "...y'know…."

"I know. Liza knows that too." Donny risked a few steps forward to place a hand on his brother's shoulder. "She doesn't blame you, Raph."

"That's messed up too!" He roughly shrugged it off, glaring at him half heartedly.

"In a way, yes."

"What do you mean 'in a way'? She doesn't blame me for scaring her and acting like a jerk- that is messed up! Like how she wouldn't even defend herself!" Raph's eyes narrowed, hardened. "...but I think I can fix that."

Donny blinked in surprise. "What? ' _Fix_ it'? How?"

"I'm gonna train get Master Splinter to train her." Raph said determinedly, slapping his fist onto his palm. "And if he won't, I will."

"She's gonna be terrible at it, Raph. She's gonna be too terrified to actually learn anything." He added quickly, cutting off the beginning of his brother's furious protest. "Look, Raph, I'm all for Liza learning how to protect herself- especially with what's going on- but she said herself- she's not a fighter. It's not in her nature."

"She'll get over it." Raph muttered, unwilling to acknowledge the point but still undaunted.

"Everyone's going to want to know why, and you know Liza wouldn't want us to say anything about this." Donny said warningly.

"I'll deal with it." He growled.

Donny snorted. "Yeah, I've seen how you 'deal with it'. _I'll_ deal with it."

Raph paused, eyeing his brother. "You're actually gonna help?"

"It's a good idea, a smart one. We don't know if or _when_ things are going to get worse. She needs to be prepared." Donny hesitated a moment, glancing over. "...Are you sure we can't tell her-"

"She'll just kill herself worrying over everything." Raph interrupted. "It's better if she doesn't know."

"Wow, that sounds like what Liza said about her abuse and telling everyone." Donny noted, the casual tone undermined by the sarcasm.

"Shut up- I get it, alright? Let's just get started on convincing our Fearless leader and Splinter to train Liza."

* * *

 **FF: Oooh, it seems Liza isn't the only one keeping secrets!**

 **IMPORTANT NOTE:**

 **I really, truly, hate to do this but I need to put this story on hiatus. Let me explain why:**

 **I had originally started posting when I had around 36 prewritten chapters. Unfortunately, during the editing process after I began posting, I found some plotholes that needed fixing. I can't fix them and keep up with the updating schedule, as my life has gotten rather busy, so I need to take some time to get the story back on track.**

 **I'm hoping the break won't last more than a month or two, and, again, I am so very sorry to be putting this on hiatus! At least I haven't left you guys on a cliffhanger, right? Sorry. Thank you for reading and understanding, and I'll do my best to have this story up and going ASAP!**


	29. Offer

**FF: Woo, these months felt so long and yet so short! I hate to say it, _but the hiatus will continue after this._ I only managed to type 1 1/2 chapters, including this one over the past 2 months- I need to write more to be able to give you guys frequent updates and I fear that will take more time. I hope you can forgive me this :(**

 **I Write When I Am Bored: Thank you for understanding! You're so very kind to say so! :) *cuts you free from ropes* Quick, come read the chapter! Liza will protect you from your clones!**

 **Roxygirl: I'm glad you understand :) Liza is pretty much incapable of _not_ understanding people, she'll always look for the best- despite detriment to herself.**

 **FF: Here's a chapter for all your kindness and patience! i'll do my best to keep the hiatus as short as possible, but I make no guarantees sadly! Anyways, enjoy! (EDIT: I did a bit of editing down at the bottom!)**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT**

Liza blinked slowly, squinting into the morning light. Her eyes slid around her room, sleep-dulled resignation making her gaze flat.

A (half)night of sleep had helped to stabilize her mood, but it seemed to have steadied in a numb sort of depression. Memories of the night before left lingering thorns of anxiety and hurt that were dulled to a steady aching all over.

She tried to gain the will to push herself up, but her eyes slid closed regardless of her commands. She sighed, not even having enough energy to feel annoyed.

She hadn't meant for it all to get so out of hand. She hadn't meant for anyone to find out or get so upset- that was the point of a secret, no? She should've known better by now- secrets don't help. They just hurt.

Now Donny and Raph knew, and she was so terrified everyone would soon know. She couldn't deal with that. She'd hardly been prepared for just one person knowing! Maybe….maybe it would be best if she hid away for a while, didn't go down to the lair.

An involuntary snort snuck past her lips.

That was stupid. They knew where she lived- if they wanted to see her and she wouldn't go to them, they could just as easily go to her. And they could pick locks, too. No escape.

Besides that, she'd had a whole night to think about this. She was understanding why the others needed to know now- if two brothers were keeping a secret as terrible as this from their family, it would do more damage than good. The secret had reached its expiration date, it was time to tell.

Liza opened her eyes, feeling her heart shudder at the idea. She didn't want to see their faces when they found out. Raph had gotten so angry he'd run from her- how would the others respond? She and Leo were just starting over and her first meeting with Splinter was today, and- oh, poor Mikey, he felt things so deeply. This would hurt him so much...

She pressed her face into her pillow a moment, trying to squelch away all the negative thoughts and fears and worries that felt like a black hole in her chest. She needed to think about this logically, focus. What was the best thing to do, the thing that needed to be done first?

Raph. She needed to talk to Raph- clear the air, explain some things, etc. That was most important. Then, she could talk to Donny too. Explain that she understood his viewpoint, but needed time to prep herself. Then, if everything went well, she could work on how to explain herself to the others.

The ache in her gut eased a little and she lifted her face from the pillow, relief beginning to trickle through her.

She had a game plan. She could do this.

Her brief moment of hope was interrupted by her phone buzzing loudly, startling her into a full body jolt and staring at it as if it was going to leap up and bite her.

She blinked- oh no, someone was texting her, oh no, ohno, ohno- and took a slow breath, trying to calm her kickstarted heartbeat. It was okay. It was just a text. Everything was still okay.

She pushed herself up, threw the covers off, and cautiously walked over to pick up the phone. She abruptly felt all her tentative confidence drain out of her feet.

17 unread messages.

Had...had they already told everyone? Was there to be a confrontation already?

Pushing down her fear, she opened the most recent messages.

 **Raph: DONT READ MIKEYS TEXTS**

 **Raph: just a reminder**

Liza blinked. "...okay…?" She mumbled warily, opening the other messages flashing insistently at her.

She stared incredulously at the numerous texts of random words that appeared under Mikey's name- this was what Raph didn't want her to see?- and flicked farther down until she came upon something that resembled coherency.

 **Mikey: TXTS!**

 **Mikey: MY!**

 **Mikey: READ!**

 **Mikey: DONT!**

 **Mikey: IMMA SPAM U W/ TXTS SO U DONT SEE IT**

 **Mikey: DONT READ MY TXTS!**

 **Mikey: ITS SUPPOSE SURPRISE!**

 **Mikey: WAIT NO**

Blink, blink.

She supposed it was a good thing her screen cut it off there, else whatever surprise they had planned would've been spoiled.

But...was it a good surprise? She squinted at the screen, resisting the urge to scroll down and ease her suspicions. Mikey wouldn't be so not-serious if it was something bad, so maybe her secret was still secret? But then what was the surprise about?

Relieved but utterly confused, she cautiously typed out a reply to Raph. It was risky, especially with what had happened the night before, but he was certainly still near his phone and would answer her….right?

 **Liza: Um, okay? Should I be worried?**

She hesitated a moment before hitting send, and then waited nervously for a reply. After a minute with no response, she started getting ready for the day, trying to distract herself from the tension coiling in her gut.

He was probably still mad at her. She could understand that. She had lied via omission to him and mislead him and deceived him and a host of other things that all meant the same. She felt her mood sink lower and lower into guilt and worry the longer she thought about it and half-heartedly tried to focus more on her daily chores which were finished all too soon.

She jumped when her phone finally buzzed, froze like a deer in the headlights mid-stretch, and then hurriedly snatched it from her dresser.

 **Raph: no**

 **Raph: just come down asap**

 **Liza: That sounds very concerning**

 **Raph: would you just do it?**

Liza bit her lip.

Ten minutes, a minor freakout session, and a conversation with her parents later, she sent a reply.

 **Liza: On my way**

* * *

The entire walk was a trial. With each step she had to fight not to turn and run, resist the fear that hissed that this was a horrible idea and hiding in her room with no communication whatsoever would be a far better one.

But she'd said she was on her way. She couldn't back out now.

Besides, she'd brought her laptop. If things started going bad, she could cut it off early and say that she had work to do, or she could just hide out in the corner typing away and looking busy.

Liza hesitated just one tunnel away from the entrance, her breath hitching.

She stared, frozen in place as she mentally battled herself. Then, she adjusted the shoulder bag's strap, drew in a long breath, and forced it out slow. She could do this, it would all be okay. Her grip on the strap tightened and she forced her feet to step forwards.

Before she could get even a step in, rapid footsteps echoing off the sewer walls pounded towards her, getting louder with each second.

Liza jolted, body instantly sinking into a stance that would give her the best speed boost to flee, before she blinked at the person that came careening around the corner. "Mikey?" She straightened, alarmed, and reached out for him worriedly. "What's wro-"

Heedless of her outstretched hand, Mikey simply ducked under her arm and scooped her up, skidding to a halt only to start running back the way he came.

"WHA- Mikey!" She yelped, scrambling to grab onto his shoulders and anchor herself as her bag swung wildly against his legs.

"SorryI'mjustexcitedandIcouldn'twaitforyoutogetheresoIcametogetyoumy _selfheresheis_!" He nearly squealed out the last bit as he sprinted the remaining distance, raced into the lair, and deposited her right in front of his siblings, forcing the group clustered by the couch to hop back to avoid a collision.

Completely unprepared, Liza wobbled and almost fell when he set her down, but managed to catch herself. Steadying her bag and pressing a hand to her forehead as if it would stop her mind's whirling, she shook herself and looked around, imploring. "Um, what's happening...?"

"It's a surprise!" Mikey bounced excitedly on his feet, grinning widely and looking expectantly from his Liza to his brothers and back again.

"...hi." She whispered, glancing around the semicircle awkwardly as she noticed their stares. What had happened the night before was forefront in her mind and she fought not to flush in embarrassment, a battle she lost just as she lost the ability to look anyone in the eye for more than a second.

"Hey." Raph's lips twitched, arms folded and expression carefully neutral.

Was he upset about the night before? Was that why his expression was so fixed? She couldn't blame him if he was. She desperately hoped it wouldn't make things awkward between them.

"Is everything alright?" She asked, trying to shake off the returning nerves as she glanced at everyone's (minus Mikey's) serious expressions.

"No." Donny shook his head. "Everything is not fine."

Her heart dropped. Oh goodness. Was all that cheerfulness before a ruse? Had they meant to lure her into a false sense of security using Mikey and then force her secret out? "O-oh?" She choked out.

"You are way too fragile for our kind of life." Raph stated, staring her right in the eye as he bluntly delivered the stinging line. "You wouldn't last two seconds if we weren't around."

Liza flinched, stunned and hurt at the rebuke. Where did this come from? What happened to their kindness and baffling determination to put up with her? Had they finally hit their limit?

Before she could manage to say something around her shock, he continued, "That's why we want to train you."

She blinked, mouth opening and closing helplessly for a few shocked seconds. "...I'm sorry?" She stammered.

"We want to train you to defend yourself." Donny explained. "You've already gotten kidnapped once because you've associated with us. You need to be able to take care of yourself when we're not with you."

"Isn't that _awesome_?!" Mikey squealed excitedly, nearly bouncing in place as he snatched her up into a hug. "You get to be a ninja like us!"

"I-"

"Not quite a ninja, Mikey." Leo interrupted, giving a gently stern look to his brother that made him set Liza down with a hushed but energetic apology. "Just enough so that you can protect yourself if you get into trouble. And you'll have to get Splinter's blessing before you can start training."

"Training...?" She echoed incredulously, her mind whirling. "I-I don't- I'm-" She shook her head, unconsciously retreating from the group with wide eyes as her arms curled defensively to her chest. "I- I can't."

* * *

 **FF: Oh poor Liza. She's trying so hard to keep up with everything...**


End file.
